International cricket star Shoaib Malik in Canada with goal of growing the sport

Cricket is on the rise in Canada.

Once considered a niche sport in the country, the centuries-old game is quickly growing in popularity from coast to coast.

According to Statistics Canada, 500,000 immigrants arrived in Canada from countries where cricket is the national sport or has national representation between 2015-2020, paving the way for a cricket explosion.

A testament to the sport's growth is the return of the Global T20 Canada tournament, a prestigious event that has attracted several international cricket stars to share the stage with Canada's top talent.

Legendary Pakistani all-rounder Shoaib Malik is back for his second GT20 Canada tournament, suiting up for the newly established Mississauga Panthers as one of the league's marquee players.

"It feels great," Malik told CBC Sports. "Last time I was here in 2019, I was looking forward to playing the next season as well. But unfortunately, COVID came in and everything went down."

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The inaugural edition of the tournament was in 2018. Malik saw the potential for cricket's development in Canada during the 2019 tournament, something he wants to help move forward. He said growing the sport in Canada is not only important to him, it is the reason he is here.

The 41-year-old opted to miss Pakistan's two-test series against Sri Lanka this month in order to compete for the Panthers, with an aim to help Canadian cricketers.

"This is why I've decided to come here, because I was here in 2019 and I saw a lot of potential in the country," Malik told CBC Sports. "The country wants to improve in cricket as well, so this is why I'm here.

"And like me, there are other cricketers from all over the world,