APL 2018: Best XI of the tournament

With over two weeks of some riveting action, the inaugural edition of the Afghanistan Premier League (APL) ended being a huge success. The motive of the league- to help unearth the young talent in the country was definitely fulfilled. It was the Balkh Legends who emerged to be victorious in the competition ultimately. During the course of the tournament, there were some terrific performances on display. Some experienced players stepped up big time and played unbelievable innings for their respective teams. Also, youngsters, who have got a chance to rub shoulder with some of the finest cricketers from around the world were very impressive. Players from Afghanistan, mostly aged between 16 to 25, must’ve learnt a lot from this tournament. Going into the World Cup next year, the APL has given the Afghan team a lot of options to explore. On that note, here is the best XI from the tournament which is mostly dominated by the Afghanistan players. Here is the best XI of APL 2018: 1. Chris Gayle | Balkh Legends Chris Gayle. (Photo Source: Twitter) Chris Gayle took some time initially in the tournament to get going. He recorded scores of 20, 20 and 12 in his first three matches making it 52 at an average just above 17. However, just as we were reaching towards the business end of the tournament, this man got into his zone. He was instrumental in helping his side, Balkh Legends win the title. 80, 73, 54, 56 were his scores in the remaining four games that he played making it four consecutive half-centuries. The Jamaican played critical innings both in the semi-final and the final and ended the tournament as the third highest run scorer. He got 315 runs in 7 innings at an average of 45. 2. Mohammad Shahzad (wk) | Paktia Panthers Mohammad Shahzad. (Photo Source: Twitter) Mohammad Shahzad reserved some of his best cricket just for this tournament. He was just terrific with the bat and provided his side, Paktia Panthers with a good start almost every single game except for the semi-final. Although he wasn’t 100 per cent fit, he gave it his all for his team. He led his side brilliantly and will be donning the gloves in this XI. The wicket-keeper batsman ended the tournament will 344 runs in 9 games at an average of 43. He was the leading run-scorer and was also named the best batsman of the tournament. 3. Darwish Rasooli | Balkh Legends Darwish Rasooli. (Photo Source: Twitter) It was a tough pick to choose Darwish Rasooli over Hazratullah Zazai who scored the only century of the tournament and also hit six sixes in a single over. With 322 runs, Zazai was the second highest scorer but has got most of his runs in just two or three innings. Both these youngsters played some good cricket, but Darwish Rasooli was chosen the ‘Emerging Player of the tournament’. Just 18 years of age, Rasooli has shown some great maturity. He likes to take the responsibility and play the long innings. The right-handed batsman scored 213 runs in 7 innings and looked impressive. Hence, he will be the one making it to the best XI of APL 2018. 4. Ryan ten Doeschate | Balkh Legends Ryan ten Doeschate. (Photo Source: Twitter) The 38-year-old Ryan ten Doeschate has had a great run this season. He played a few crucial knocks in the middle order and looked in fine touch. The Netherlands cricketer brought out all his experience under immense pressure situations and bailed his side out of trouble on a few occasions. Although his strike rate wasn’t too high, it was just enough to meet the requirements of his team. He scored 274 runs in 9 innings at an average of about 55 and has struck two half-centuries. He will be taking this crucial number four slot in this XI. 5. Laurie Evans | Kabul Zwanan Laurie Evans. (Photo Source: Twitter) Laurie Evans ended the APL 2018 as the batsman with the highest average. He could play the perfect partner for Ryan ten Doeschate in the middle-order in this side. The 31-year-old has the ability to shift gears quickly and is a very clean hitter of the cricket ball. With 305 runs in 9 games, he ended as the fourth highest run-getter and was more often than not the rock for Kabul. He scored his runs at an average of 61 which is quite staggering in T20 cricket. Evans also has the ability to roll his arm over when required. 6. Mohammad Nabi (c) | Balkh Legends Mohammad Nabi. (Photo Source: Twitter) Mohammad Nabi had a dream tournament and deservedly won the title. He led his side beautifully throughout and will also lead this XI. Nabi was very calm under crunch situations which was his biggest strength. Although not a completely dominative force either with the bat or the ball, he just contributed enough in both the aspects of the game. Mohammad Nabi played the finisher’s role for his side with a strike rate of over 200 throughout the season while also taking the new ball up front. He has scored 177 runs in 7 innings with the bat and picked 9 wickets in 10 games this season. 7. Rashid Khan | Kabul Zwanan Rashid Khan. (Photo Source: Twitter) Rashid Khan, the batsman, was more dominant than the bowler in this tournament. In fact, he started off on a pathetic note with the ball and hardly got any wickets. He was winning the games for his team with the willow alone. However, as the series progressed, he caught up got back to his destructive best ending up with 10 wickets. The leg-spinner scored an unbelievable 173 runs in eight outings at an average of 35 complemented with a mindboggling strike rate which was nearly 200. He smashed 16 sixes with the highest score of 56*. His all-round performance helped him to win the Player of the tournament award. 8. Karim Janat | Kandahar Knights Karim Janat. (Photo Source: Twitter) Karim Janat is the younger brother of Afghan skipper Asghar Afghan. Although the performances of the Kandahar Knights weren’t impressive this season, this 20-year-old young sensation was one of the biggest positives for the team. He has already played 15 international games for Afghanistan and looked to be good. Former New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum also rated him very highly. He will be the second all-rounder in this XI. Karim has scored 140 runs in 8 games at an average of 28 and strike rate over 120. He picked 12 wickets in as many games and looks to be a great prospect in the long run. 9. Isuru Udana | Paktia Panthers Isuru Udana. (Photo Source: Twitter) The left-arm pacer from Sri Lanka was quite a revelation in this tournament. The 30-year-old, although has played 17 T20Is for his nation failed to create any impact. He made his international debut all the way back in 2009 but only featured in 19 matches overall for Sri Lanka. However, when he got his opportunity in the APL, Udana ensured that he didn’t leave any stone unturned. He was the highest wicket-taker of the season with 17 scalps in just 8 games. His average of 14 and economy under 8 are very impressive and has made a huge statement ahead of the IPL auctions. 10. Sayed Shirzad | Kandahar Knights Sayed Shirzad. (Photo Source: Twitter) The 24-year-old Sayed Shirzad is making quite a name for himself with his performances. The left-arm pacer last played a T20I for Afghanistan back in 2016. But, just in the 3 T20Is that he featured in, he got 7 wickets to his name and his average of 11 at the international level was impressive. Playing in the APL this year, he ended up as the second highest wicket-taker with 16 wickets in half the games. However, he was on the expensive side and will have to work on containing the run flow. A few more improvements to his gamecould soon earn Shirzad a place back in the national team. 11. Qais Ahmed | Balkh Legends Qais Ahmad. (Photo Source: Twitter) There is something special about Afghanistan and its spinners. They keep shelling out highly talented spinners on a regular basis. The 18-year-old Qais Ahmed is the latest of the lot. The young leg-break bowler has played for the Afghanistan U19 team and featured in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) before playing the APL. He has got some good variations in his armoury and uses them quite effectively. Ahmed picked 15 wickets this season in 9 games at an average of just 12.53. His 5-wicket haul in the final helped restrict the Kabul Zwanan to a low score and played an important role in helping his side get hold of the glorious trophy.

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