ESPNcricinfo picks its best XI from the 2017 edition of the Caribbean Premier League
Sreshth Shah10-Sep-20171. Evin Lewis (St Kitts and Nevis Patriots) – 371 runs, strike rate 184.57
True to his reputation, Lewis out-paced opening partner Chris Gayle (strike rate 127.02) at Patriots, providing quickfire starts that set up a number of chases. Lewis scored less than 39 only five times in 10 innings, and his strike-rate – the best in the tournament among batsmen with more than 100 runs – makes him an easy choice to face the new ball inside.
Standout performance: His 32-ball 97, at a strike-rate of over 300, with six fours and 11 sixes, helped Patriots chase down a target of 129 against Tridents in only seven overs. That win secured second place for Patriots on the points table.2. Brendon McCullum (Trinbago Knight Riders) – 335 runs, strike rate 165.84
With the team losing only two of their group-stage games, it is of no surprise that four Knight Riders players feature in our XI. McCullum was the season’s third-most successful foreigner with the bat, behind only Kumar Sangakkara and team-mate Colin Munro, and his high-impact batting in the latter half of the season helped Knight Riders cruise into the playoffs. McCullum remained unbeaten four times in his ten innings – a remarkable feat for a T20 opener – and struck three fifties to finish with an average of 55.83.
Standout performance:McCullum smashed 91 against Jamaica Tallawahs to help Knight Riders post the season’s highest total of 208. They won the high-scoring match by 36 runs.3. Chadwick Walton (Guyana Amazon Warriors) – 458 runs, strike rate 145.85
The season’s highest run-getter, Walton was the only batsman to score more than 400 runs. Barring a duck and a score of 10, Walton ensured strong starts to Amazon Warriors’ batting every time as they chased the final qualifier spot towards the end of the league stage. With 61 hits to or over the rope (37 fours and 24 sixes), he also led the tournament’s boundary charts.
Standout performance: Walton walloped an unbeaten 84 off 40 balls against Jamaica Tallawahs, helping Amazon Warriors chase down 150 in 63 balls. That remarkable innings and win leapfrogged Amazon Warriors’ net run-rate, a number too big for the fifth-placed Tridents to overcome.Kumar Sangakkara lifts a sweep over midwicket•Getty Images4. Kumar Sangakkara (capt, wk) (Jamaica Tallawahs) – 379 runs, strike rate 135.84
The ever-consistent Sangakkara notched up four fifties in his last five matches to stake claim in our XI, eventually finishing as the second-highest run-scorer of the tournament. He also led a Tallawahs side that possessed limited resources to the playoffs, and is therefore also our choice for team captain. With 40 fours, Sangakkara also finished as the tournament’s top four-hitter.
Standout performance: A classy 74* against St Lucia Stars in which Sangakkara smashed nine fours and three sixes to help Tallawahs chase down 173 with an over to spare.5. Andre McCarthy (Jamaica Tallawahs) – 292 runs, strike rate 127.51
The perfect foil in the Tallawahs line-up, this CPL season has been McCarthy’s breakthrough year. He has seen off difficult periods with the bat and his nifty knocks have anchored numerous Tallawahs innings. Both his half-centuries this season were match-winning efforts and his performances often correlated with his franchise’s success. With the big-hitters around him in this XI, the crafty McCarthy fits the team like a glove.
Standout performance: McCarthy’s 37-ball 61* against St Lucia Stars helped Tallawahs complete a final-over win courtesy three huge sixes from the Jamaican in the last three overs.CPL 2016’s best XI
Johnson Charles, Chris Gayle (capt), Chris Lynn, Colin Munro, Shane Watson, Andre Russell, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Dwayne Bravo, Sohail Tanvir, Kesrick Williams, Sunil Narine
6. Kieron Pollard (Barbados Tridents) – 264 runs, strike rate 150.00, 8 wickets, bowling average 16.87
Pollard breached the fifty-run mark three times this season, and was Tridents’ most consistent batsman. With the bat, he found himself in sticky situations (with the team losing early wickets) and was often the reason the Tridents bowlers had some sort of total to bowl at. With the ball, he did not concede more than 29 runs in any match, and even took 4 for 16 against Amazon Warriors, albeit in a losing cause.
Standout performance: Pollard smashed five fours and six sixes in his 35-ball 83 against St Lucia Stars to roll back the years in a game that Tridents won by 21 runs (D/L method).Dwayne Bravo breaks into a celebratory jig•Randy Brooks – CPL T20 / Getty7. Dwayne Bravo (Trinbago Knight Riders) – 16 wickets, bowling average 23.75
The season’s second-highest wicket-taker, Bravo’s nifty death bowling ensured his team lost only two matches. He also scored useful twenties, coming into bat during the slog overs, and helped the T&T franchise clinch their second CPL title.
Standout performance: Bravo took 4 for 38 against fellow finalists Patriots to restrict them to 149 in the first qualifier, and smashed a 13-ball 24 in a losing cause.8. Sohail Tanvir (Guyana Amazon Warriors) – 17 wickets, bowling average 18.52
The Pakistan fast bowler was the season’s highest wicket-taker and his swing bowling under gloomy Caribbean skies earned him rich dividends. Amazon Warriors started their season poorly but it was Tanvir’s economy of 7.00 – the second-best among all fast bowlers – that led their play-off charge towards the end of the league stage. He also played the role of pinch-hitter, opening the batting at times to utilise the long handle during the first six overs.
Standout performance: Tanvir took 5 for 3, the most economical four-over spell in all T20 cricket, to bowl Barbados Tridents out for 59 in Amazon Warriors’ 99-run win in Bridgetown.Sunil Narine waltzed to his career-best T20 score•Randy Brooks – CPL T20 / Getty9. Sunil Narine (Trinbago Knight Riders) – 12 wickets, economy rate 5.39
Narine sent down 306 balls all season and conceded only 275 runs. And while he never took more than two wickets in any game, he delivered when it mattered, his figures of 4-1-8-1 helping Knight Riders limit Patriots to 135 in the final. He was also Knight Riders’ designated opener, a strategy that produced mixed results.
Standout performance: Narine’s best performance this season came with the bat. On an evening when no other Knight Riders batsmen scored more than 25, Narine smashed a 45-ball 79 to help his team steamroll Tridents in Port-of-Spain.10. Shadab Khan (Trinbago Knight Rider) – 12 wickets, economy rate 5.75, average 15.33
In his first CPL season, Shadab shone as Knight Riders’ second spinner. While Narine stemmed the run-flow, Shadab’s legbreak and wrong’un collected the wickets at the other end. He played only eight games, but used his array of variations to good effect. Shadab had the second-best bowling average among all regular bowlers and finished as the second-highest wicket-taker among spinners.
Standout performance: Shadab took 4 for 28 in Port-of-Spain to restrict Amazon Warriors to 156 in Knight Riders’ seven-wicket win.11. Kesrick Williams (Jamaica Tallawahs) – 15 wickets, bowling average 26.06
Not afraid to give dismissed batsmen a send-off, Williams provided Tallawahs with the early breakthrough and then returned at the death to cushion their young bowling attack. Williams bent his back all season and was rewarded with plenty of wickets, especially of top-order batsmen in the Powerplay. The quality of the batsmen he consistently dismissed, and the fact that he usually bowled the difficult overs, excuses an economy rate of 9.53.
Standout performance: Williams finished with 3 for 26 in Port-of-Spain, including the wickets of both openers, and helped Tallawahs effect the first of only two losses that Knight Riders suffered in the league stage.
