Afghanistan Premier League team of the tournament: Teenage sensation Qais Ahmed upstages Rashid Khan - in pictures

Scroll left/right through the picture gallery to see the best XI

1. Hazratullah Zazai (Kabul Zwanan): The left-handed opener ensured the tournament made global sporting headlines by hitting six sixes in an over against Balkh Legends. That was part of a record-equalling fastest half-century in T20 cricket history. And he had scored the only century, too. Satish Kumar for The National

2. Mohammed Shahzad (Paktia Panthers): Surely there is no more entertaining cricketer in the world than the roly-poly Paktia captain. He chats incessantly – to players, officials and even groundstaff - and did not seem to rate captaincy. But his shot-making is remarkable. Chris Whiteoak / The National

3. Anton Devcich (Nagarhar Leopards): In 2014, Devcich made his lone one-day international half-century for New Zealand against Pakistan in Sharjah. The left-hander clearly has a liking for the place, as shown by his early run-spree in the APL, including 94 not out against Kabul. Chris Whiteoak / The National

5. Darwish Rasooli (Balkh Legends): Afghanistan’s leading young cricketers gained much from this tournament, and few more so than 18-year-old batsman Rasooli. Despite his youth, he looked like he belonged in the company of Chris Gayle et al. The national selectors will have taken note. Chris Whiteoak / The National

6. Mohammed Nabi (Balkh Legends, captain): The thrill of the six hit loses some of its potency when they happen as often as they do in the APL. That said, Nabi’s power is spectacular. One six he hit in a semi-final blitzkrieg ended up in Sharjah football club without bouncing. Chris Whiteoak / The National

7. Karim Janat (Kandahar Knights): The younger brother of Kandahar and Afghanistan captain Asghar Afghan, but he made a name for himself in this APL. Relatively miserly with the ball, and a dangerous lower-middle-order batsman. Brendon McCullum labelled him a potential “superstar”. Chris Whiteoak / The National

8. Ben Cutting (Nangarhar Leopards): The global T20 freelancer led an under-performing Nangarhar side from the front, most notably when he took the league stage’s only five-wicket haul in the opening match. The Australian ended with 12 wickets as Nangarhar exited in the semi-final. Chris Whiteoak / The National

9. Qais Ahmed (Balkh Legends): A complete unknown before the APL started – yet managed to finish it as the leading leg-spinner, in a tournament that also included the great Rashid Khan. Bubbled with youthful promise all the way through, then took five wickets in the final. Satish Kumar for The National

10. Sayed Shirzad (Kandahar Knights): The left-arm quick bowler had no previous representative experience to recommend him as one to watch before this APL. And yet he ended the league phase as the leading wicket-taker with 16. A potential successor to Shapoor Zadran for Afghanistan. Chris Whiteoak / The National

The inaugural Afghanistan Premier League concluded Sunday with Chris Gayle's Balkh Legends securing a four-wicket win over Kabul Zwanan in Sharjah.

Gayle hit 56, his fourth successive half-century in the competition, to see Balkh to the title at Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

Despite those heroics, the West Indian opener was upstaged by lesser-known players at the T20 tournament, and so fails to make the team of the tournament.

______________

Read more from Paul Radley:

Chris Gayle guides Balkh Legends to Afghanistan Premier League title

Qais Ahmed the surprise home hero of the inaugural Afghanistan Premier League final

The Cricket Pod: How the Abu Dhabi T20 and Afghanistan Premier League can grow

______________

Another surprise omission if the celebrated Afghani spin bowler Rashid Khan, who was upstaged by 18-year-old leg-spinner Qais Ahmed in Sunday's final, taking 5-18.

Scroll through the picture gallery above to see who else made Paul Radley's best XI. Two men missing are Kabul Zwanan's Laurie Evans and Isuru Udana of Paktia Panthers as we were unable to source images.

______________________________________________________________________________________

Listen to The Cricket Pod:

Also in this episode:

• Dougie Brown and Ahmed Raza air their views on the UAE's Twenty20 match against Australia in Abu Dhabi.
• Can the Australians sort out their issues before the all-important home series against India? We discuss.
• We also take a look at how the UAE will benefit from the ICC's restructuring of one-day internationals.

Subscribe to The Cricket Pod for free to receive new episodes every week:

Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Audioboom | Spotify | RadioPublic | RSS