New Zealand legend to lead Sharjah Warriorz in ILT20 season 3

Former New Zealand pacer and skipper Tim Southee has been named the skipper of the International League T20 (ILT20) side Sharjah Warriorz for the upcoming season. The Warriorz finished bottom of the points table in the last season of the ILT20.

Southee recently announced his retirement from international cricket. The Kiwi pacer played his last Test match at Seddon Park, Hamilton, against England which the hosts won. Southee, however, hasn't disclosed his future about playing in other leagues around the world.

Ahead of the third season of the ILT20, Sharjah Warriorz, a franchise based out of one of the seven Emirates of UAE, announced that the Kiwi pacer will be leading their side. In an official press release, Southee had the following to say:

“The Sharjah Warriorz have a fantastic squad in place, with plenty of hard-hitting batters and smart and skilful bowlers. It will be a really exciting time to captain and be around such a talented bunch of cricketers. My conversations with the team management have also been very fruitful so far, and we are confident of having a good season. I am really excited to join and lead the team.”

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Sharjah Warriorz bolster their squad with new signings

The Sharjah Warriorz finished fifth and sixth in the points table in the first and second seasons of the league, respectively. This time around, they have managed to assemble a good squad. Southee will be complemented by fellow Kiwis Adam Milne and Tim Seifert along with trans-Tasman teammates Ashton Agar, Daniel Sams, and Matthew Wade.

Additionally, USA's Harmeet Singh and Malaysia's Virandeep Singh were also picked up in the draft held earlier this year. Before the draft, the Warriorz retained eight players from their squad last year.

Sharjah Warriorz full squad: Tim Southee (c), Adam Milne, Adil Rashid, Ashton Agar, Avishka Fernando, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Daniel Sams, Gus Atkinson, Harmeet Singh, Jason Roy, Karim Janat, Keemo Paul, Matthew Wade, Virandeep Singh, Tim Seifert, Dilshan Madushanka, Johnson Charles, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Jawadullah, Kusal Mendis, Luke Wells, Peter Hatzoglou, and Tom Kohler-Cadmore.