… Malik, Botha land major roles

THE Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) has announced its Team of the Tournament with the majority of the players from the record-breaking Guyana Amazon Warriors leading the list.
Headed by the expert panel of judges which includes Tom Moody, Hero CPL’s Director – International Cricket, along with the commentary team, Mark Butcher, Danny Morrison, Dirk Nannes, Ian Bishop and Daren Ganga. Players and a coach were selected to be part of the 2019 All-Star team.
Ex-Pakistan captain Malik, one of the leading run-getters in CPL history was named captain of the side with his stats of 313 runs at 78.25. The right-hander successfully led the Warriors to a record 10 victories in the group stages which catapulted the Guyana franchise into the final unbeaten.
Warriors coach Johan Botha will coach the team having created history by taking his side into the final unbeaten. He is joined by his franchise players, opener Brandon King the leading run-scorer with 453 runs at an average of 56.62 and South African international and veteran leg-spinner Imran Tahir with 15 wickets at 11.53
All-rounder Chris Green (13 wickets) and lone Guyanese Chandrapaul Hemraj (298 runs), were named 12th and 13th, while the sole representative and wicketkeeper from the Jamaica Tallawahs is Glenn Phillips with his 374 runs.
Trinbago Knight Riders’ two players in the team are opener Lendl Simmons and captain Kieron Pollard. Simmons, second on the leading run-scorers’ list with 429, was a late replacement but has done a superb job at the top or the order.
Pollard, meanwhile, smashed 349 runs at a staggering average of 58.16 and grabbed 6 wickets, doing a fine job in replacing the injured Dwayne Bravo. West Indies and Barbados Tridents skipper Jason Holder (14 wickets), teammates in pacer Harry Gurney (10 wickets) and leading bowler of the tournament Hayden Walsh Jr (21 wickets) who has a 5 and 4-fer in two respective innings, also make the cut.
Meanwhile, St Kitts & Nevis Patriots players; all-rounder Fabian Allen (218 runs) and speedster Sheldon Cottrell (12 wickets) are the other members of this year’s star-studded Team-of-the-Tournament. (Clifton Ross)

HERO CPL TEAM-OF-THE-TOURNAMENT

1. Lendl Simmons – Trinbago Knight Riders
2. Brandon King – Guyana Amazon Warriors
3. Glenn Phillips* (wkp.) – 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
12th man: Chris Green* – Guyana Amazon Warriors
13th man: Chandrapaul Hemraj – Guyana Amazon Warriors
Head coach: Johan Botha – Guyana Amazon Warriors