Malik-led CPL 2019 team of the tournament announced

Veteran Pakistan all-rounder has successfully led the Guyana Amazon Warriors to a record 10 victories

PHOTO COURTESY: CPL

Pakistan’s veteran all-rounder Shoaib Malik has been named as the captain of the 2019 Caribbean Premier League (CPL) team of the tournament.

According to the official CPL website, the team has been selected by Tom Moody, CPL’s Director International Cricket, along with the commentary team — Mark Butcher, Danny Morrison, Dirk Nannes, Ian Bishop and Daren Ganga.

Malik has scored 313 runs at an average of 78.25 and has successfully led the Guyana Amazon Warriors to a record 10 victories in the group stages and leave his team unbeaten in the tournament thus far. He is joined by fellow Amazon Warriors, Brandon King (453 runs at 56.62) and Imran Tahir (15 wickets at 11.53) who have both played an integral part in the Guyana franchise’s record breaking tournament.

The sole representative from the Jamaica Tallawahs is Glenn Phillips (374 runs at 37.40) who will also be the wicket keeper for the team. Phillips was the leading light for the Tallawahs who had a tricky season, but the Kiwi wicketkeeper-batsman did brilliantly at the top of the order.

The Trinbago Knight Riders have two players in the team, Lendl Simmons and Kieron Pollard. Simmons (429 runs at 42.90) was a late replacement in the Knight Riders squad but has done a superb job at the top or the order as his team made the playoffs once again. Pollard (349 runs at 58.16 and 6 wickets at 29.66) stepped up to the captaincy after Dwayne Bravo pulled out of the tournament through injury and has led from the front with both bat and ball.

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The Barbados Tridents have three players who make the team. The trio includes Jason Holder (14 wickets at 23.07) and Harry Gurney (10 wickets at 16.3) as well as Hayden Walsh Jr (21 wickets a 12.19) — who has claimed five wickets in one innings and four in another as the USA spinner had a breakout season.

The St Kitts & Nevis Patriots have representation from Fabian Allen (218 runs at 27.25) and Sheldon Cottrell (12 wickets at 19.25). Allen has scored his runs at a remarkable strike rate of 177.23 during the 2019 CPL and has also been one of the fielders of the tournament. Cottrell has been saluting his way to success once again as he starred with the new ball and at the death for the Patriots.

The Head Coach of the year is Johan Botha who has taken Guyana Amazon Warriors into the CPL final with 11 straight wins. The 12th and 13th men are also from Amazon Warriors, with Chris Green (13 wickets at 20) and Chandrapaul Hemraj (298 runs at 27.09, 5 wickets at 17.2) making up the rest of the squad.

CPL TEAM OF THE TOURNAMENT

1. Lendl Simmons – Trinbago Knight Riders

2. Brandon King – Guyana Amazon Warriors

3. Glenn Phillips (wk) – Jamaica Tallawahs

4. Shoaib Malik (c) – Guyana Amazon Warriors

5. Fabian Allen – St Kitts & Nevis Patriots

6. Kieron Pollard – Trinbago Knight Riders

7. Jason Holder – Barbados Tridents

8. Hayden Walsh Jr – Barbados Tridents

9. Imran Tahir – Guyana Amazon Warriors

10. Harry Gurney – Barbados Tridents

11. Sheldon Cottrell – St Kitts & Nevis Patriots