T10 League 2018: Best XI of the tournament

The second season of the T10 League promised to be much bigger and better compared to the previous one and it lived up to its expectations. The tournament which took place over 11 days in Sharjah witnessed packed stadiums mostly at the back end of the season. The triple headers and high-scoring close games attracted the crowd and even the final lived up it’s billing with the Northern Warriors keeping their cool in the end and win the title for the first time.

Kerala Knights were the defending champions but the team led by Eoin Morgan never looked like one and were eventually crashed out of the competition. Punjabi Legends punched above their weight in some games but inconsistency hurt them and missed out on the qualifiers by a whisker in the end. Maratha Arabians looked like a team to beat but the Warriors filled with the Caribbean players made the most of the trimmed format by bringing their firepower to the fore.

Pakhtoons, the other finalists, upped their game at the crucial juncture of the tournament and deservedly played the final. But they just fell short when it mattered the most. Though the Shahid Afridi-led side should be credited for what they achieved.

Here we bring you the best XI of the tournament:

1. Andre Fletcher (Pakhtoons)

Pakhtoons, more often than not, rode on the performances of Andre Fletcher. After starting the tournament with a loss, they won four matches on the trot and the Caribbean batsman’s contribution was of paramount importance in those. He was striking the ball pretty cleanly and looked in great touch throughout the tournament.

Fletcher batted at the top of the order for his team and slammed 304 runs in eight outings at a wonderful strike-rate of 214.08. His exploits were pure bliss to the eyes and entertained everyone thoroughly, hence truly serving the purpose of the tournament.

2. Nicholas Pooran (wk) (Northern Warriors)

The young Caribbean Nicholas Pooran was a pivotal member of the Northern Warriors side who managed to lift their first T10 League trophy. Although he failed to get going in the final, he did exhibit his stupendous hitting skills throughout the tournament, which had a good share of a West Indian flavor in it.

The 23-year-old ended up as the highest run-scorer of the tournament. He registered a whopping 324 runs at an average in excess of 50. He and Andre Fletcher were the only players in the tournament to have registered over 300 runs and that is symptomatic of a fact that Caribbean lads enjoy shorter formats.

3. Shane Watson (Sindhis)

It has been a while since Shane Watson bid adieu to International cricket, but is still continuing to play some domestic cricket here and there. The Australian all-rounder had a terrific tournament with the bat, but unfortunately his side, on the whole, didn’t do well enough to progress through to the knockouts.

With 223 runs at an average of 55.75, Watson rolled the clock all together to his glory days. Although his form wasn’t contagious enough to reflect on the whole team, fans thoroughly enjoyed what they witnessed from the 37-year-old. He finished as the third highest run scorer in the tournament.

4. Shafiqullah Shafiq (Pakhtoons)

It’s not easy for the middle-order batsmen to come in and score runs instantly and in a format like this, it gets all the more difficult. But Shafiqullah Shafiq managed to deliver a decent performance almost every time he came out to bat, thus giving the eventual runner-ups an assured presence in the middle order.

He clobbered 183 runs in the seven innings he played at a strike-rate of 212.16. The Afghan has been riding high on confidence ever since the Afghanistan Premier League (APL) concluded and he will be desperate to carry forward this good run into the World Cup next year.

5. Sherfane Rutherford (Bengal Tigers)

Another young Windies cricketer who made his presence felt in the T10 League was Sherfane Rutherford, who played a big part in Bengal Tigers’ Bronze position finish this edition. The southpaw clearly represents the coming generation of fearless cricketers and his game is a testament to that fact.

He batted at number three and four for the Tigers and accumulated 195 runs in 8 innings. He also won the player of the match award for his 21-ball 46 in the third-place play-off game against Maratha Arabians. Rutherford without a shadow of doubt was one of the finds of the tournament.

6. Sunil Narine (Bengal Tigers)

A legend of the shortest format already, Sunil Narine needs no specific introduction. The Caribbean magician managed to entertain both with the bat and ball but his effort was just not good enough to help Bengal Tigers romp into the finals. All his side could manage was a third-place finish and will be eager to bounce back strong next season.

With the willow in hand, he scored 159 runs in seven innings, which is pretty decent considering he is a bowling all-rounder. He scalped six wickets at an average of just under 16. His clean striking and mystical deliveries lit up the tournament big time and he certainly was one of the best performers this season.

7. Andre Russell (C) (Northern Warriors)

This list is pretty close to being a power-packed Windies T20 lineup and hence its fitting that the captain for this side is also the Caribbean. Andre Russell played a blinder in the final to help the Northern Warriors clinch the trophy and he contributed profusely on the field as well, picking up a wicket and inflicting a major runout of Shafiqullah.

His major contribution this tournament was with the ball as he didn’t get to bat as many times as he would’ve liked. Nevertheless, in the few chances he had, he mustered 128 runs at a mind-boggling strike rate of 272.34.

8. Hassan Khan (Punjabi Legends)

The young Pakistani speedster Hassan Khan played just three games in the tournament, but he ensured his presence was felt with a mind-boggling performance. The 20-year-old adjusted brilliantly to the acute playing conditions and considering how harsh this tournament is for the bowlers, he did a terrific job.

He picked up eight wickets in these three games at a stupendous average of 7.88. His best performance of the season came against Pakhtoons in the group stages, where he registered figures of 4/22, which includes scalps of some big players like Andre Fletcher, Shafiqullah and David Willey.

9. Dwayne Bravo (Maratha Arabians)

One of the game’s finest ambassadors and greatest entertainers, any leagues like these without Dwayne Bravo doesn’t qualify as an entertaining league. Once again, he brought his exuberant presence to the nucleus of the tournament and entertained the fans as much as he could.

He finished just behind the eventual man of the tournament Viljoen in the wicket-takers list, with 10 wickets to his name in nine games apart from the 60 runs he scored with the willow. He led the Arabians brilliantly all the way to the playoffs but had to settle for the fourth position.

10. Pravin Tambe (Sindhis)

The senior most player in the tournament, Pravin Tambe had a point to prove that he still has cricket left in him at the age of 47 and he managed to do so in style representing the Sindhis. The leg-spinner from Mumbai adapted brilliantly to the alien Sharjah conditions brilliantly and finished as one of the best bowlers of the tournament.

He picked up 8 wickets in the four games he played and an impressive economy of 9.21 proved how consistent and effective he was. He took the new ball when needed and also bowled some crucial overs towards death overs. To see him take up so many challenges even at this age was very heartwarming for the fans to witness.

11. Hardus Viljoen (Northern Warriors)

Last but not the least, Hardus Viljoen was without any doubts the best player of the tournament. The 29-year-old from Mpumalanga province, South Africa, read the conditions better than anyone and applied all his plans to perfection in the little time he got to prove his point.

In 10 games, he registered a staggering 18 wickets at an average of 7.78. He bowled his 2-over quota in every game for the eventual champions Northern Warriors and returned with the third best economy among all the bowlers this edition (7.78). In a tournament which was expected to demoralize the bowlers, it was great to see a bowler winning the player of the tournament award.

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