Lahore (PCB Report)::Title-winning side Peshawar Zalmi’s drought-breaking skipper Babar Azam has also been announced as the captain of the HBL Pakistan Super League 11 Team of the Tournament for his clinical record with the bat and as a leader in the recently concluded edition.
Team of HBL PSL 11 consists of three players each from Peshawar Zalmi, Hyderabad Kingsmen, two each from Lahore Qalandars, Islamabad United and one each from Multan Sultans and Quetta Gladiators.
The team was selected by a five-member committee from the esteemed commentary team. The jury also selected an Emerging Team of the Tournament as well comprising of young Pakistan players. The HBL PSL 11 saw a total of 44 matches, which were played from 26 March to 3 May in Lahore and Karachi.
Babar Azam – who has won his third HBL PSL title as a player and first as captain – scored 588 runs in the tournament opening the batting and won Hanif Muhammad cap for being the leading run scorer. He also bagged the record of joint-most runs in a single HBL PSL season matching Fakhar Zaman’s heroics in 2022.
Zalmi skipper also registered two centuries in the tournament against Quetta Gladiators and Islamabad United in a space of four games. Two other Peshawar Zalmi players have also made it to the team and they are Kusal Mendis and the Fazal Mehmood cap winner Suyfan Moqim.
Mendis collected 550 runs on the back of four fifties and one century and is also the designated wicketkeeper-batter of the team with eight dismissals to his name as well. His century came against Karachi Kings on 9 April at the National Bank Stadium.
Sufyan picked up 22 scalps with his menacing left-arm wrist-spin at a miserly average of 14.40 and economy of 7.20. He was also declared player of the tournament and best bowler as well for his heroics throughout.
Three players in the HBL PSL 11 Team of the Tournament feature from the runners-up Hyderabad Kingsmen. Usman Khan, who was fourth on the run charts with 389 runs with the help of a century and three half-centuries is slotted in at no.5 in the team.
Left-arm spinner Hassan Khan and Emerging player of the tournament Hunain Shah are the other two from Kingsmen contingent to make it to the team. Apart from his acrobatic and electric fielding, Hassan picked up six wickets and scored 139 valuable runs at a strike rate of 195 lower down the order.
Hunain collected 17 wickets in the tournament playing 10 matches and stands as the joint-third leading wicket-taker despite missing a few games at the start. He turned out to be Kingsmen’s hero towards the business end of the tournament.
Two players – Fakhar Zaman and Shaheen Shah Afridi – from Lahore Qalandars also feature in the team for their heroics in the tournament. Fakhar, who is the leading run-scorer in the tournament’s history, racked up 401 runs off eight matches to finish third in the season, while Shaheen finished the season 16 wickets off 10 matches at an average of 18.18 and 7.86 economy rate.
Shan Masood – the only player from Multan Sultans – is penciled in at no.4 in the team of the tournament which reflects his stellar performance with the bat accumulating 367 runs at average of 45.87 and a strike rate of 158.18.
Islamabad United’s captain Shadab Khan and the leading spinner in tournament’s history also makes the HBL PSL 11 team due to his all-round performances, which earned him best all-rounder of the tournament award. Shadab scored 173 runs at a strike rate of 141 and picked up 17 wickets at an average of 14.47 and economy of 7.02.
He will be joined by his teammate Richard Gleeson, who proved to be highly effective with the new ball in the tournament p
HBL PSL 11 – Team of the Tournament
1. Babar Azam (Peshawar Zalmi) (captain)
2. Fakhar Zaman (Lahore Qalandars)
3. Kusal Mendis (Peshawar Zalmi) (wicket-keeper)
4. Shan Masood (Multan Sultans)
5. Usman Khan (Hyderabad Kingsmen)
6. Shadab Khan (Islamabad United)
7. Hassan Khan (Hyderabad Kingsmen)
8. Shaheen Shah Afridi (Lahore Qalandars)
9. Hunain Shah (Hyderabad Kingsmen)
10. Sufyan Moqim (Peshawar Zalmi)
11. Richard Gleeson (Islamabad United)
12. Hasan Nawaz (Quetta Gladiators) (12th player)
HBL PSL 11 – Emerging Team of the Tournament
1. Sameer Minhas (Islamabad United)
2. Shamyl Hussain (Quetta Gladiators)
3. Maaz Sadaqat (Hyderabad Kingsmen)
4. Saad Baig (Karachi Kings) (wicketkeeper)
5. Farhan Yousuf (Peshawar Zalmi)
6. Saad Masood (Rawalpindiz)
7. Hunain Shah (Hyderabad Kingsmen)
8. Ali Raza (Peshawar Zalmi)
9. Mohammad Ismail (Multan Sultans)
10. Ubaid Shah (Lahore Qalandars)
11. Momin Qamar (Multan Sultans)
12. Mohammad Farooq (Lahore Qalandars) (12th player)
