CPL 2018: Pre-tournament Overseas XI

The sixth edition of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) will be played from 8 August 2018 to 16 September 2018. Six teams will be competing in this exhilarating league and the top four teams will qualify for the playoffs. Many of the popular West Indian players participating in the tournament are expected to make it more lively and entertaining. Apart from the Windies players, the overseas stars who are participating in the tournament this year will be some of the biggest attractions. Some of the most amazing cricketers like David Warner, Ross Taylor, Steve Smith, Martin Guptill, Shoaib Malik and others are set to feature in the tournament this year. On that note, here is the best pre-tournament overseas XI for CPL 2018. Although there is a temptation to accommodate all these players in, only the best XI can be chosen depending on the dynamics of the side. 1. Luke Ronchi (wk) | Guyana Amazon Warriors Luke Ronchi. (Photo by Ashley Allen – CPL T20 via Getty Images) It was a tough choice to pick one between Luke Ronchi and Brendon McCullum. Both these men are openers and have the capability to take the team off to a lightning start. However, Ronchi ends up having an advantage as he doubles up as the wicketkeeper in the side and fits better into this XI. Post his international retirement, Ronchi is playing various T20 leagues across the world and is also in some sublime form. At the age of 37, Ronchi is proving that age is just a number and has been highly impressive. He was the highest run scorer in the recently concluded PSL with 435 runs in 11 games at a strike rate of 182 and hence will make it into the XI. 2. David Warner | St Lucia Stars David Warner. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) This was another tough pick as there are a plethora of overseas openers playing in the tournament this year. Chris Lynn, Hashim Amla, Martin Guptill and Colin Munro were the other options who were up for this slot. However, it is David Warner who will make it to the final XI despite the left-hander not being in great form. We had seen in the Global T20 Canada that Warner did well in the games where he got some time to settle in. In that tournament, he did not have the luxury of an aggressive opening partner and was forced to go for his shots early. Hence, having a player like Luke Ronchi to complement him will do him a world of good and he is a devastating player once he gets his eye in. When compared to Lynn, Munro or Guptill, Warner can provide the team with some extra consistency and has to ability to bat for a longer time on a regular basis. Also, Warner brings his captaincy traits into the side and that gives him the edge. 3. Steve Smith | Barbados Tridents Steve Smith. (Photo Source: Twitter) There aren’t many ifs and buts about this man batting at this position in this XI. The former Aussie skipper has made a comeback into professional cricket with the Global T20 Canada. He has scored 167 runs in 6 games at an average of 33.40 and a strike rate of about 120. Smith smashed two half-centuries in the tournament and will be looking to do better in the CPL. Smith will bat at the No 3 position in the team and is expected to play the anchor role and hold the innings together. The 29-year-old will be looking at this tournament as a great opportunity to test himself. With the quality of bowlers lined up to challenge him, it will be a good opportunity for Steve Smith as he hasn’t had a lot of game time of late. 4. Shakib Al Hasan | Barbados Tridents Shakib Al Hasan. (Photo by Ashley Allen – CPL T20 via Getty Images) Shakib Al Hasan is one of the greatest all-rounders Bangladesh has ever produced. He is equally competent with both the bat and the ball and is a great addition to any XI. Furthermore, Shakib has shown some good signs of form both in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and in the recently concluded series against Windies. The Bangladesh skipper will be available for almost the entire duration of the Caribbean Premier League. Since he is cushioned in between Steve Smith and Shoaib Malik, Shakib can play with some extra freedom and helps the team achieve better balance. He will be playing for the Barbados Tridents this season along with the likes of Smith. 5. Shoaib Malik | Guyana Amazon Warriors (C) Shoaib Malik. (Photo by Randy Brooks – CPL T20 via Getty Images) Since the end of the World Cup 2015, Shoaib Malik has rediscovered himself with the bat. He is scoring runs with an unbelievable consistency and also at a quick pace. Malik is probably playing some of the best cricket of his life at the moment and will undoubtedly make it into this XI. The right-hander will also have the option of going out there and taking up the bowling responsibility in situations he deems it necessary. Just like Shakib, Malik will also be available for almost the entire duration of the tournament. The 36-year-old has played over 100 T20I and has scored over 2000 runs. He has also picked 28 wickets and his vast experience will come in handy to the side. 6. David Miller | Jamaica Tallawahs David Miller. (Photo Source: Twitter) David Miller is one of the fiercest hitters of the cricket ball. His funda is quite simple – ‘If it is in the V, it’s in the tree and if it’s in the arc, it is out of the park’. He has the ability to completely change the equation of the game in no time and is a brilliant fielder. Killer Miller has a vast experience of playing T20 cricket and usually scores his runs at a heavy strike rate. The 29-year-old left-hander from South Africa will be taking the role of a finisher in this XI. With Imad Wasim coming after him, you would expect Miller to go hard at the bowlers. Miller will be playing for the Tallawahs this season. 7. Imad Wasim | Jamaica Tallawahs Imad Wasim of Pakistan. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images) Pakistani bowling all-rounder Imad Wasim is the next man in the XI. This southpaw’s heroics with the bat will be very useful for his side lower down the order and he scores his runs at a brisk pace. Imad has replaced his compatriot Shahid Afridi in the tournament as the latter has decided to pull out due to a knee injury. He is sort of a like-for-like replacement being a leg-spinner and with his ability to bowl with the new ball and his in-slider to the right-handed batsmen is one that has troubled many. The 29-year-old has played 25 T20Is thus far and has scored 122 runs at a strike-rate over 150. With the ball, he has picked 27 wickets at an economy just over 6. Playing for the Karachi Kings in the recently concluded PSL, the left-arm spinner picked 5 wickets in 8 games at a very good economy and scored 69 runs with the bat. 8. Imran Tahir | Guyana Amazon Warriors Imran Tahir. (Photo Source: Twitter) Imran Tahir has been around playing T20 cricket for quite some time now. He features in almost all the T20 leagues around the world. The 39-year-old leg spinner has got quite a few variations up his sleeve and will come in handy in the crunch situations. He will play this year’s CPL under the leadership of Shoaib Malik. This passionate cricket played for the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL this year and played an important role in helping his team win the title. In the 36 T20Is that he played, Tahir picked 57 wickets at an average of 16 and economy just under 7. 9. Sohail Tanvir | Guyana Amazon Warriors Sohail Tanvir. (Photo by Randy Brooks – CPL T20 via Getty Images) Sohail Tanvir first made headlines for his unorthodox bowling action in the mid-2000s. His wrong-footed leap during his bowling stride helped confuse quite a few batsmen and assisted him in getting some great success in T20 cricket, the format of unorthodoxy. Despite all the success he had early in his career, injuries haunted him and kept him away from the national team for quite some time now. Tanvir has played almost every T20 league in the world and was the highest wicket-taker in CPL 2017. He picked 17 wickets in 12 games in that season with the best bowling figures of 5/3. His economy rate last season was just 7 and his team will hope for him to play a big role this season as well. 10. Sandeep Lamichhane | St Kitts and Nevis Patriots Sandeep Lamichhane. (Photo Source: Twitter) Sandeep Lamichhane has taken everyone by surprise with the amount of success he has had at such an early age. He was the first Nepali player to play the IPL and has become a household name now. The leg-break bowler picked 5 wickets in the 3 IPL games that he played and was quite impressive. He has got a mystery element to his bowling that often takes the batsmen by surprise. The 18-year-old Nepali bowler will be playing the Caribbean Premier League for the first time this season. He also featured in the Global T20 Canada which was played in June and July this year and also made his ODI debut earlier this month. 11. Wahab Riaz | Barbados Tridents Wahab Riaz of Pakistan. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images) Wahab Riaz will be remembered forever for the spell that he bowled against Shane Watson in the World Cup 2015. That is one of the fiercest spells that you will ever watch. However, post this World Cup, the left-arm pacer seems to have lost his way. He was out of the national team and has had a few fitness issues too. However, Riaz has shown some signs of form in the ongoing T20 Blast. He is batting at No 3 for his team, Derbyshire and is scoring runs at a very quick pace. Depending on the situation of the game, the 33-year-old can be used as a floater in the lineup. With the ball, he has picked 13 wickets in 10 games at an average just under 20 in this tournament. For all the latest cricket news and other updates follow CricTracker.

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CPL 2018: Pre-tournament Overseas XI

Although there is a temptation to accommodate all these players in, only the best XI can be chosen depending on the dynamics of the side.

5. Shoaib Malik | Guyana Amazon Warriors (C)

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