BBL 2018-19: Best XI of the tournament

With the Melbourne Renegades emerging as the winners, the eighth edition of the Big Bash League (BBL) has successfully come to an end. In the Melbourne derby in the final, they pulled a win out of nowhere against the Stars to lift the title for the first time. Just like the final, there were quite a few games that entertained the fans throughout the tournament. There were some heartbreaks, there were some enthralling moments and a few nail-biting games which were all fun ultimately. Apart from all this, some of the players got out of their skin and performed exceptionally well. These guys were extremely clinical in their respective discipline and it was great to watch them perform. Here is an eleven formed with the best of all the performers. The best XI of BBL 2018-19: 1. D’Arcy Short | Hobart Hurricanes D’arcy Short of the Hobart Hurricanes. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images) D’Arcy Short is a player whose skills seems to go up leaps and bounds as soon as he dons the Hobart Hurricanes jersey. Even though he hasn’t been as consistent a performer for Australia, he gets his wings on when he plays the BBL. Just like in the last season, he was unstoppable in this season as well. In fact, he performed even better this time around. The left-hander had a major role in whatever success the Hurricanes had this season. Short scored a mammoth 637 runs in 15 matches at an average of 53 and strike rate of 141. 2. Matthew Wade (c)(wk) | Hobart Hurricanes Matthew Wade. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images) Despite the terrific BBL season this year, Matthew Wade was yet again ignored for the Australian team. The 31-year-old, however, put his head down and kept focussing on his performances. He never got bogged down by expectations and was one of the best performers for the Hurricanes. Wade is only behind D’Arcy Short in the list of highest run-scorers. He piled up 592 runs at an average of 42 and strike rate of 147. He was the force for them opening the innings and also did well behind the wickets throughout the season. 3.Marcus Stoinis | Melbourne Stars Marcus Stoinis. (Photo by Mike Owen/Getty Images) Without a second thought, Marcus Stoinis has surely got to be the best performer of this season. He was unbelievable both with the bat as well as the ball and put up a terrific show. Even though he didn’t play all the matches, Stoinis created enough impact that the fans will associate this season with him. He was unfortunate not to have finished on the winning side. However, Stoinis would be proud of what he has achieved in the tournament. He amassed 533 runs in 13 matches at an average of 53.30. He picked up 14 wickets at a strike rate of 11.5 and an average of 16 and brought his all-round game to the fore for the Stars. 4. Callum Ferguson | Sydney Thunder Callum Ferguson. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images) Callum Ferguson was another one of those top performers in the BBL this year. He was the most consistent player with the bat for the Sydney Thunder and the highest run-scorer for the team. Ferguson plays a radical style of cricket and tries to minimise the risks as much as possible. The 34-year-old scored 442 runs in 14 games at an average of 34. He hit one century and one half-century in the tournament and bagged a duck twice. Ferguson scored his runs at a strike rate of 135. More than anything, his century was the most talked about in the tournament as it was some clean hitting by one of the most technical batsmen going around in Australia. 5. George Bailey | Hobart Hurricanes Hobart Hurricanes. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images) If it were D’Arcy Short and Matthew Wade who handled the top order for the Hurricanes, it was George Bailey who shouldered the burden of the middle-order. The former Australian skipper was great with the bat this season and scored his runs at a brisk pace. The 36-year-old made optimum utilisation of his experience and bailed the side out of trouble on many instances. He also took up the role of a finisher whenever required and justified his place in the side completely. Bailey scored 363 runs in 12 innings at an average of 45 and strike rate of 149. He got past the 50-run mark on three occasions and cleared the fence 14 times in the season. 6. Tom Curran | Sydney Sixers Tom Curran. (Photo by Jason McCawley – CA/Cricket Australia/Getty Images) There was quite some competition between Daniel Christian and Tom Curran for this spot in the eleven. Even though Curran might have scored lesser runs with the bat, his average is almost at par and strike rate much higher. Moreover, the English cricketer had a lot more on offer with the ball. Curran scored 185 runs in the 9 innings where he had an opportunity to bat. He scored 185 runs at an average of 31 and strike rate of 145. In 14 games, he picked up 20 wickets at an economy rate under 8. 7. Rashid Khan | Adelaide Strikers Rashid Khan. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images) The bowlers in this eleven are mostly wicket-takers and could end up going for a lot of runs. Thus, someone like Rashid Khan is extremely important to control the run flow in the middle overs. James Faulkner and Jofra Archer were the other two choices for the spot but it is Rashid who makes the final cut. The Afghan cricketer was clinical in this season as well with 19 wickets in 14 games. His economy rate was just 6.14 and he averaged 18. Even though the oppositions have found better ways to deal with Rashid now, he is still quite effective. He also needs to shoulder more responsibility with the bat coming in five down. 8. Steve O’Keefe | Sydney Sixers Steve O’Keefe. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images) Steve O’Keefe was another gun performer for the Sydney Sixers in BBL 2018-19. He was an extremely critical part of the team’s plans and had a major role in their success. O’Keefe bowled extremely tight lines, lengths and hardly let the batsmen get the better of him. He picked up 21 wickets in 15 games at an average of 17.52. His economy rate was just 6.57 and he’ll complement Rashid Khan brilliantly in this eleven. While one of them can build the pressure from one end, the other can choke the batsmen down. 9. Josh Lalor | Brisbane Heat Josh Lalor. (Photo by Brett Hemmings/Getty Images) Josh Lalor was one of the biggest positives for the Brisbane Heat, in what was otherwise a forgettable season. Even though his team hasn’t fared really well, Josh Lalor kept yielding out good performances one after the other. Had he got a few more opportunities, he might have surely ended up as the leading wicket-taker. Bowling at an average of 14.85, Lalor accounted for 20 scalps at an economy rate under 8. His strike rate was a terrific 11.7. Lalor picked up a 5-wicket haul in one of the eleven games that he played and the season’s lone hat-trick was picked by him. 10. Sean Abbott | Sydney Sixers Sean Abbott. (Photo by Mark Evans/Getty Images) This season of the BBL was quite a revelation for Sean Abbott. The New South Wales’ bowler bowled quick, hit the right areas and provided his team with regular breakthroughs. Even though he went for a few runs, Abbott made up for it by picking up wickets. Sean Abbott accrued 22 wickets in 15 games at an average of 20 and economy rate just above 8. His strike rate of 14.7 was also noteworthy. With these performances, he will look to get back into the Australian team soon. 11. Kane Richardson | Melbourne Renegades Kane Richardson. (Photo by Michael Dodge/Getty Images) For the Melbourne Renegades, a new player stood up every time the team was in trouble. That particular cricketer saw the team through the tough phase and successfully got them over the line. But if there has to be one player who was extremely consistent throughout, it was to be Kane Richardson. The Aussie pacer was a terrific act and finished as the leading wicket-taker in the tournament. He is the only Renegades’ player in this eleven which is a testimony of how well they have performed as a team. Richardson accumulated 24 wickets in 14 games at an economy under 8 and strike rate of 13.7. Even he would be eyeing at making it back to the Australian team soon through these BBL performances. Get the latest Cricket News and updates from Big Bash League, Match Predictions, Fantasy Cricket Tips and lots more on CricTracker.com.

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BBL 2018-19: Best XI of the tournament

These players were at their best for their respective teams during the tournament this season.

6. Tom Curran | Sydney Sixers

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