Northland's Tim Southee playing in North American's first T20 comp

Northland's Black Caps bowler Tim Southee was to star in the first game of the Global T20 Canada League overnight. Photo / John Stone

Northland's Black Caps bowler Tim Southee was set to break new ground overnight, with the first game in the inaugural Global T20 Canada League.

Southee is one of the stars for the Vancouver Knights in the new league, with his team due to take on the Toronto Nationals, which features West Indies captain Darren Sammy, in the ground-breaking game overnight.

Vancouver Knights also have the likes of Chris Gayle, Evin Lewis and Andre Russell.

Altogether 22 matches will be played in the tournament, with the final will be held on July 15.

The tournament will also see the likes of international greats in the form of Steve Smith, Kamran Akmal, Darren Sammy, Kieron Pollard, Kesrick Williams and Johnson Charles.

The tournament is the first of its kind in Canada, and it's hoped it will help spread the game into North America.

There are six teams competing - Vancouver and Toronto with Cricket West Indies B Team, Edmonton Royals, Montreal Tigers and Winnipeg Hawks. Each team will play against each other twice before the tournament moves to the playoffs.

Each team features four Canadian cricketers in each squad, along with international players.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) sanctioned the tournament in February 2018, and it will be the first T20 league in North America. Justin Trudeau, Canada's Prime Minister, was pleased with the ICC's decision to approve the league.

The Global T20 Canada League has Cricnwin as its fan engagement partner for the inaugural edition.