The Gladiator picked Cheema and national skipper Umar Bhatti during the first draft of TJT League in Mississauga last week.

"I'm glad to join a national league where I can play professional cricket, practice and prepare for international matches," Cheema, Canada's top run-getter, told SA Focus in an interview.

Born and raised Pakistan, the 31-year-old master-blaster said he hoped the league would be fruitful for the future of cricket in Canada.

"I can't say, but I think it's just the beginning and this league will help national selectors hunt the budding talent," said Cheema.

Team managers of six teams - Gladiators, Warriors, Titans, Royals, Chiefs and Kings - had a challenging time picking cricketers from over 400 players during the TJT NCL Draft 2009.

The league is a joint venture of TJT Reality and Toronto District Cricket Association with support from Cricket Canada and Ontario Cricket Association. Surprisingly, Cheema was the second pick of the draft after under-19 all-rounder Hiral Patel.

Apart from Cheema, Patel and Bhatti, other players selected in the first round were Kenneth Kumyuka (Kings), Kenneth Wong (Warriors), Damoudar Daesrath, (Titans) and Dhanuka Pathirana (Royals).

The night continued with lots of ecstatic players overjoyed they were selected for the league.

After 15 player-selecting rounds and another two rounds for reserves, the gathering concluded when all the six teams chose full roster of best players in Canada.

Cheema, whose T20 best is 68 off 43 balls with the help of six 6s and four 4s at Maple Leaf against Sri Lanka last year, said: "Not only I will try to put up my best performance for Gladiators, but also practice for international matches."