• MSL Team of the Tournament

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    SACricketMag.com pick the Team of the Tournament after the 2019 edition of the Mzansi Super League.

    1. Ben Dunk (Nelson Mandela Bay Giants, wicketkeeper)
    Matches: 11; runs: 415; average: 51.87, catches: 5; stumpings: 1

    • Dunk was the standout overseas star ahead of Liam Livingstone, Wahab and others – and scored the most runs in the 2019 tournament.

    2. Janneman Malan (Cape Town Blitz)
    Matches: 9; runs: 358; average: 44.75

    • Malan was second only to Dunk in terms of most runs scored – and struck the most sixes of the tournament. He effectively kept Paarl Rocks big-hitter Cameron Delport out of this hypothetical XI.

    3. Jon-Jon Smuts (Nelson Mandela Bay Giants)
    Matches: 11; runs: 238; batting average: 26.44; wickets: 6; bowling average: 36.00

    • Smuts captained the Giants to second on the log – and fared well enough with the bat throughout. His left-arm spin, too, proved handy.

    Also see: Rocks crowned 2019 MSL champions

    4. AB de Villiers (Tshwane Spartans)
    Matches: 9; runs: 325; average: 46.62

    • De Villiers has obvisouly still got it – and hopefully Mark Boucher does coax him out of international retirement.

    5. Faf du Plessis (Paarl Rocks, captain)
    Matches: 10; runs: 219; average: 27.37

    • Du Plessis wasn’t at his best with the bat, but captained the Rocks to the title during a tumultuous time for anyone privy to the Cricket South Africa mess.

    6. David Miller (Durban Heat)
    Matches: 6; runs: 184; average: 61.33

    • The Heat have one representative in this XI – and the hard-hitting left-hander is it. That break away did him the world of good.

    7. Chris Morris (Nelson Mandela Bay Giants)
    Matches: 11; runs: 122; batting average: 30.50; wickets: 10; bowling average: 33.50

    8. Sisanda Magala (Cape Town Blitz)
    Matches: 9; wickets: 11; average: 24.18

    • Magala was athletic in the field despite his hefty frame and bowled really well to justify his big price at the pre-tournament auction.

    9. Dale Steyn (Cape Town Blitz)
    Matches: 8; wickets: 15; average: 15.13

    • Steyn is done with Test cricket, but still wants a crack at ODI and T20I selection, so it’s important that he continues to put in performances like these.

    10. Tabraiz Shamsi (Paarl Rocks)
    Matches: 10; wickets: 16; average: 16.87

    11. Imran Tahir (Nelson Mandela Bay Giants)
    Matches: 11; wickets: 17; average: 14.23

    • Tahir was the leading wicket-taker in the tournament, having taken at least one but not more than two in his last nine matches. Consistency, indeed.

    Photo: BackPagePix

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