The PSL XI

Hammad Shakil                                                                                                                              

It was a dream, a distant dream. No one could ever have thought PSL could find as much success as it has found. Last 3 weeks saw resurgence of Pakistan cricket. From Sir Viv’s emotions to KP’s Urdu tweet, it was all Pakistan. PSL came, saw, and conquered. It won millions of hearts, marked a new era of Pakistan cricket. Everything went according to the plan. It was well planned, well executed, well organized. It was, after all, a product of Pakistan!

New talent got unearthed, some old guns saw their resurgence. Overseas’ players performed just like the way they were expected to. The locals too gave them the support they were expected to! 5 teams, dozens of players, dozens of performances. From Watson-Sharjeel record opening partnership to Elliot-Babar last wicket record partnership, from Shahid Afridi’s career best 5/7 to Aizaz Cheema’s heroic last over, from Ravi Bopara’s consistency to Kumar Sangakkara’s fluency, from Wahab Riaz’s pace to Mohammad Sami’s speed, there was everything!

Making an eleven is always a tough task, and when it comes to making a combined XI of all teams, it’s even more tougher. Taking into account all the performances throughout the PSL, we bring to you a PSL XI, as after every year, the ICC brings out a World XI.

Who to Open?

Even though Tamim Iqbal could play only first half of the tournament, he made his mark, scoring 267 runs at 66.75. With scores of 30, 80*, 37, 14, 55* and 51, he barely had a bad innings, and with this impressive performance, he secures an automatic selection as an opener.

After being dropped for the Asia Cup and the World T20, Ahmed Shehzad produced a fine form at the PSL, scoring 290 runs from 10 innings and was instrumental in Quetta’s run to the final. He exhibited a super knock of 64 off 39 in the final too, and hence joins Tamim Iqbal as an opener in the PSL XI.

The Middle Order

Experience is always needed in the middle order and no man can be better at this job than Kumar Sangakkara. He got to play only 4 games at the PSL, because of his commitment to the MCL, but still he made 129 runs at 32.25, including a sublime innings of 55 in the grand finale. Alongside his phenomenal batting, he also keeps the wickets, so comes in as a wicketkeeper batsman at 3.

Tournament’s highest scorer Umar Akmal could not get his team into the play offs, but still seemed in great touch, scoring 335 runs at 83.75 in just 7 innings. In his last 3 innings, he scored 52*, 55* and 72*. With these performances, you can’t keep him out of the game, and he comes it the XI at 4.

Misbah ul Haq, the title winning captain, not only had a great tournament as captain, but also produced useful knocks for his team, as usual. In the first half of the PSL, when Islamabad were struggling, he played some decent innings helping his team in getting some respectable total, like he’s done for Pakistan on more than often occasions. He scored 166 runs at 33.2, and comes in at no. 5 as the captain of the PSL XI.

Ravi Bopara, player of the tournament, and second highest scorer, scored 329 runs in the tournament, and rescued Karachi Kings at many a times. With Shoaib Malik out of form throughout the PSL, he stepped up as a senior player and played some gem of a knocks. Also with his dibbly dobbly medium pace, he took 11 wickets, including a match winning 6-wicket haul against the Qalanders. In the same match, he also earlier scored a handsome 71*. He comes at 6.

The Lower Order

Andre Russel, tournament’s highest wicket taker with 16 scalps, plus his power hitting, joins the team at no. 7. He is a useful all rounder, and can turn the match around for his team at any point. He can finish off the games with his power packed batting, and also provide important breakthroughs with his fast-medium deliveries.

One of the finds of the PSL, Muhammad Nawaz got his reward of performing well by getting selected for the Asia Cup and the World T20. He took 13 wickets at 18.0 and also scored 120 runs, with 42 being his best score in the tournament. He finds himself in the playing XI at no. 8.

The Bowlers

Wahab Riaz finished the tournament with 15 wickets. He hit the deck hard continuously throughout the tournament, and was the highest wicket taker till Andre Russel went past him in the final. Also, he has the tendency to bat well sometimes. He comes in at no. 9.

The senior lad, one of the fastest bowlers of the world, Mohammad Sami saw his resurgence in the tournament. Under Wasim Akram’s coaching, he certainly did improve his accuracy, and bowled in the perfect channels. He finished the tournament with 12 wickets, including a 5-for against Karachi Kings in the first eliminator. His good performance has earned him a place in the Pakistan squad for the Asia Cup and the World T20. He comes in at no. 10.

At no. 11, in comes the magician, Saeed Ajmal. He was never under as much pressure as he was before and during the PSL. He last played an international a year ago, and was fighting hard to get a place in Pakistan side. This tournament also saw him performing like he used to in the past. Even though he could only get 6 wickets from as many matches, his performance was appreciated by the critics. He also produced a match winning spell of 3/27 against the Karachi Kings earning the Man of the Match award. He missed the play offs due to an injury, but was one of the important players in Islamabad United’s title winning campaign.

So, the team is Tamim Iqbal, Ahmed Shehzad, Kumar Sangakkara (wk), Umar Akmal, Misbah ul Haq ©, Ravi Bopara, Andre Russel, Mohammad Nawaz, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Sami, Saeed Ajmal. As per the rules, only 4 overseas players make it to the playing XI, with Mohammad Nawaz as the emerging player in the team. So many players miss out even after performing well, but it’s always tough to pick an XI out of 5 teams!

Adieus...!!