We’re excited for PSL 2019. So excited in fact that we’ve compiled the best team possible from all six franchises (if the foreign player cap was thrown out of the window).
From AB De Villiers to a star Pakistani bowling trio, all bases seem to be covered. Take a look at our dream team to help while away the minutes as Thursday’s opener between champions Islamabad United and Lahore Qalandars draws ever closer.
Kamran Akmal (wk) – Peshawar Zalmi
Who better to start with than the PSL’s top run-scorer of all time? The firecracker of a batsman only needs 71 runs to become the first man to reach 1,000 runs in the competition.
What’s more, Akmal has scored two of just three PSL centuries to have been scored so far – Sharjeel Khan having hit the first one in 2016 for Islamabad United.
The former Pakistan wicket-keeper’s strike-rate of 133, as an opener no less, is fearsome indeed. There should be no debate about this selection.
Colin Munro – Karachi Kings
Munro will miss the first week due to his exertions with New Zealand, but he should be worth the wait for Karachi.
It’s been a long wait – Blackcaps duty held him out of PSL 3 in its entirety. It was with the Kiwis last week that the lusty left-hander showed exactly what he can do in the T20 series decider against India, thrashing 72 off just 40 balls.
The 31-year-old, owner of three T20I centuries, is the ultimate feast-or-famine player and for some reason he can’t get it together in ODIs. For sheer talent alone, though, he is deservedly one of the PSL’s star attractions.
AB De Villiers – Lahore Qalandars
Talking of star attractions, they don’t get much brighter than AB. It speaks of the PSL’s rise that the South Africa master blaster turned gun-for-hire has made his way to the UAE for the first time to take part.
He has touched down in the Emirates off the back of some stellar form in the Bangladesh Premier League, scoring an unbeaten century in an electric campaign with the Rangpur Riders. Currently on 47, he could well reach his half-century of T20 half-centuries with the Qalandars.
Lahore Qalandars big signing AB de Villiers has arrived in Dubai ahead of the Pakistan Super League. #PSL4Livepic.twitter.com/Lw31tdAyKz
— #PakistanSuperLeague (@PSL4Live) February 12, 2019
Babar Azam – Karachi Kings
We’ve already got the best Pakistani batsman from last year’s edition, so why not throw in the second-best, too?
Babar Azam smacked 402 runs for an average of 40 in 2018 and he has moved from strength to strength with Pakistan in the intervening months.
The right-hander is perhaps the most dependable batsman at the tournament, never once failing to score double figures in the ODI and T20 series against South Africa in what was a miserable tour for Paksitan.
Only 24, he can further cement his legacy with Karachi here.
Shane Watson – Quetta Gladiators
There’s life in the old dog yet. Watson is showing no signs of wilting in Twenty20 cricket at the age of 37 and only last month smashed a century for Sydney Thunder – whom he captains – in the BBL against Melbourne Heat.
He’s far less likely to bowl nowadays, but all the energy saved goes into his batting. He bludgeoned 22 sixes for Quetta last season and finished among the top five run-getters.
Kieron Pollard – Peshawar Zalmi
Pollard has moved onto his third PSL team after stints with the Karachi Kings and Multan Sultans. Peshawar Zalmi have been a model of consistency over the years, reaching two from three possible finals, and there’s no one knows T20 quite like Pollard.
He is a veteran of an astonishing 446 games in the format and while his numbers haven’t quite matched up to his legendary status over the last 18 months or so, his potential to go big is, well … big.
With a strike rate of around 150, we’ll certainly take that in the middle-order.
Andre Russell – Multan Sultans
Sparks would fly in this make-believe team if Shahid Afridi and Russell hit it off the same time.
When there’s five or so overs left there’s arguably no better man to arrive at the crease. Take his unbeaten 40 from 19 balls just last week for Dhaka Dynamites, a knock that helped them surge into the BPL final at the expense of Rangpur.
With ball in hand, the 30-year-old is also a constant danger with his prickly pace.
Sunil Narine – Quetta Gladiators
And here we complete our West Indian trio. It’s a little odd to see him bat this far down but, given the nature of this team, he can afford to shelve the bat every now and then.
What we really want to use him for is his spin, with which he constantly puts batsmen in a whirl thanks to his bottomless bag of variations.
With an economy rate of just 5.96 – unheard of in T20 cricket – Narine has the power to clamp down on any batsman.
Unfortunately he is set to miss the start of the PSL due to a finger injury – Quetta will be crossing their fingers for his swift return.
Shadab Khan – Islamabad United
The fearless 20-year-old first came to international prominence in the PSL two years ago, where his teenage exuberance saw him star with bat, ball and occasionally both for Islamabad United.
His leg-spin control is extremely – perhaps uniquely – rare in one so young and don’t forget that his performance in last year’s final, compiling figures of 3-25, stunted Peshawar’s innings before his side’s batting did the rest.
Faheem Ashraf – Islamabad United
Faheem took a wicket for every 13.3 balls with Islamabad in last year’s edition. That’s pretty good – so why break up his tandem with Shadab?
He has not been in stunning form for Pakistan, yet his medium pacers are surely to be niggly once more on UAE pitches. At No.8, no other seam bowler ranks higher than the 25-year-old in the T20I ICC rankings and what he lacks in pace, he makes up for in understanding line and length.
Wahab Riaz – Peshawar Zalmi
Riaz has long fallen out of favour with Pakstani selectors but Peshawar Zalmi know his value all too well.
The joint-highest wicket-taker alongside Faheem in last year’s tournament with 18, that the left-arm pacer managed to do this at an economy of 6.90 shows that he can be consistent – which he hasn’t been much of his international career – on his day.
