Afghanistan Premier League 2018 Best XI
The Afghanistan Premier League 2018 was scheduled between 5-21 October 2018. It was a tournament involving five teams from Afghanistan.
The five teams were Balkh Legends, Kabul Zwanan, Kandahar Knights, Nangarhar Leopards and Paktia Panthers. The tournament was organised at Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
Legends defeated the Zwanan by 4 wickets in the finals and won the inaugural edition of the tournament.
Let us have a look at the best XI of the tournament.
#1 Chris Gayle (Balkh Legends)
Chris Gayle is one of the most destructive batsmen from Jamaica. He is the third highest run-getter of the tournament. He reached the landmark of 12000 T20 runs in the final of the tournament. He is the first person to achieve that feat.
His highest score was 80 against the Zwanan on 14 October. He ended his domestic List-A career on 6 October 2018.
Stats
Matches- 7, Runs- 315, HS- 80, Average- 45, Strike Rate- 172.13.
#2 Mohammad Shahzad (Paktia Panthers) (WK)
Mohammad Shehzad is the accomplished wicket-keeper hailing from Nangarhar, Afghanistan. He ended up being the highest run-getter of the tournament. His best score in the tournament was 78* against the Leopards on 14 October. He was the first batsman in the tournament to score 300+ runs.
Stats
Matches- 9, Runs- 344, HS- 78*, Average- 43, Strike Rate- 174.61, Dismissals-6.
#3 Hazratullah Zazai (Kabul Zwanan)
Hazratullah Zazai is an emerging batsman from Afghanistan. He is the only centurion of the tournament. He scored 124 against the Leopards on 9 October. He smashed six sixes off Abdullah Mazari in the 4th over and scored the joint fastest half-century against the Legends on 14 October. However, his efforts went in vain as the Legends won the match by 21 runs. He is the second highest run-getter of the tournament.
Stats
Matches- 10, Runs- 322, HS- 124, Average- 32.2, Strike Rate- 193.97.