Caribbean Premier League 2015: Best XI from CPL Week 2
The all-singing, all-dancing Caribbean Premier League has just completed its second week of action, with T20 superstars such as Chris Gayle and Kevin Pietersen producing some scintillating displays.
Did they do enough to make the vaunted Bleacher Report Team of the Week?
Based on one-off individual performances produced in the games that were contested between June 28 and July 4, here is a fully functioning Best XI from the last seven days of CPL action.
All stats courtesy of ESPN Cricinfo unless otherwise noted.
12th Men
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Firstly, let's give a nod to a few players who almost made the cut but will be carrying the drinks this time around.
Evin Lewis: Since representing the West Indies U19s in 2009, Evin Lewis has struggled somewhat. However, as evidenced by the 45-ball 82 versus Jamaica, the 23-year-old can certainly play.
Tabraiz Shamsi: Missing out to Jeevan Mendis in the spin department, this South African produced figures of 4 for 23 for the Patriots against the Tallawahs and is a more-than-capable backup slow bowler.
Rusty Theron: Another South African plying his trade in the CPL, Rusty Theron has a wealth of T20 experience and picked up three for 19 for the Tallawahs against the Zouks.
1. Chris Gayle (captain)
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Performance: 90 not out vs. St. Lucia Zouks
In T20 terms, chasing a minuscule target such as the 118 set by St. Lucia is a straightforward task these days. In fact, Chris Gayle can almost do it on his own.
The modern-day master blaster crunched 90 off just 36 balls to help his Jamaica Tallawahs annihilate the Zouks, who boasted four West Indies international bowlers in their ranks.
In his last seven T20 innings, Gayle has scored 507 runs, including five half-centuries, and he has been dismissed just three times.
2. Andre Fletcher
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Performance: 77 vs. Barbados Tridents
Andre Fletcher produced his third half-century in six innings to help his team, St. Lucia, pile on 202, the highest team score of the competition so far.
The total was too far too much for Barbados, who couldn't keep up with the double-figure scoring rate set by the 27-year-old, who made 77 and added 138 alongside Kevin Pietersen for the second wicket.
So far in this tournament, Fletcher has been in explosive form and currently leads the CPL in terms of runs scored and sixes.
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3. Kevin Pietersen
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Performance: 73 vs. Barbados Tridents
Up until St. Lucia's clash with the high-flying Barbados Tridents, it had been a fairly quiet CPL for Kevin Pietersen, with his five innings yielding just 92 runs.
However, the former England international made light of the opposition's experienced attack to bludgeon 73 runs from just 39 balls, which included four maximums.
KP's explosive 138-run partnership with Andre Fletcher was the highest of the tournament so far and helped the Zouks claim a comprehensive 30-run victory.
4. Chris Lynn
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Performance: 52 vs. St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots
While perhaps not a household name, in T20 circles, Chris Lynn in regarded as a polished performer. In Week 2, he delivered his most significant innings of the 2015 CPL to date.
Some players can be overawed batting alongside Chris Gayle, but the Australian outscored his illustrious team-mate, registering 52 from a partnership of 85 as the Tallawahs chased down 160.
Lynn nailed four sixes in his 33-ball knock that helped Jamaica record their second win in three days and make some positive strides up the table.
5. Denesh Ramdin (Wicketkeeper)
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Performance: 54 not out vs. St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots
Denesh Ramdin guided his Guyana Amazon Warriors side to its first win of the 2015 CPL with a punchy 54 off 34 balls that consigned St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots to a seven-wicket defeat.
The undoubted highlight of the diminutive wicketkeeper's seventh career T20 half-century was the four consecutive sixes he blasted off the legendary Shahid Afridi.
Behind the stumps, Ramdin remains a top-notch performer and has taken five catches to lead his fellow glovesmen in terms of dismissals.
6. Dwayne Bravo
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Performance: 4 for 18 vs. Guyana Amazon Warriors
One of the world's leading T20 exponents, Trinidad and Tobago's Dwayne Bravo produced another match-winning display with the ball to almost single-handedly demolish Guyana.
Despite coming on as the fourth change, the 31-year-old still found time to add four more scalps to his collection, including the key wicket of big-hitting Lendl Simmons.
The haul took Bravo's career tally to 247 in 249 T20 appearances, moving him to fifth on the all-time list.
7. Shahid Afridi
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Performance: 2 for 10 vs. Jamaica Tallawahs
Shahid Afridi always seems to make some sort of contribution. After failing with the bat against Jamaica, he came up trumps with the ball for St. Kitts and Nevis.
With almost 600 international appearances to his name, the vastly experienced Pakistani conceded just 10 runs from his four-over spell, the most economical return in the CPL so far this year.
The 35-year-old also collected the wickets of Daniel Vettori and Jerome Taylor to ease the St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots to a 119-run victory.
8. Jeevan Mendis
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Performance: 2 for 15 vs. St. Lucia Zouks
Jeevan Mendis enjoyed a successful week, collecting five wickets in the Tridents' two clashes with the St. Lucia Zouks at Basseterre.
The Sri Lankan's two for 15, which included the scalp of Ross Taylor, on Wednesday was particularly impressive and helped his side successfully defend a sub-150 total.
Barbados are currently topping the table, and one of the reasons for that is Mendis' exceptional, competition-leading overall economy rate of 5.16.
9. Jerome Taylor
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Performance: 2 for 17 vs. St. Lucia Zouks
Jerome Taylor has carried his Test form into the CPL, as evidenced by his miserly spell that helped set up Jamiaca's comfortable 10-wicket win over St Lucia.
The paceman removed danger man Johnson Charles before returning to dismiss Kemar Roach later in the game, conceding just 17 runs from his four overs.
Taylor recently collected 19 wickets in four Tests versus England and Australia, including a haul of six for 47 against the latter in Kingston.
10. Krishmar Santokie
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Performance: 3 for 24 vs. St. Lucia Zouks
The tournament's leading wicket-taker is currently Krishmar Santokie, mainly because of the left-arm paceman's eight wickets during Week 2.
While his four for 37 against the Patriots was impressive, his outstanding performance was a miserly three-wicket haul against St. Lucia, which helped Jamaica to a formulaic win.
Something of an anomaly, despite never playing first-class cricket, Santokie has already made 12 T20 international appearances for the West Indies.
11. Sheldon Cottrell
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Performance: 3 for 15 vs. Jamaica Tallawahs
Chasing 199, Jamaica needed an explosive start against St. Kitts and Nevis, but Sheldon Cottrell single-handedly derailed their run chase with a three-wicket burst.
The Patriots pace bowler snared Chadwick Walton, Chris Lynn and Chris Gayle, conceding just 15 runs from his four overs.
Cottrell remains on the periphery of the West Indies team, and more performances like this will surely lead to more white-ball caps.
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