Match Center

Right then, this is it from Match number 13 where the momentum shifted back and forth in favor of both sides, but eventually, it was the San Francisco Unicorns who held their nerves and emerged victorious. Up next in the Major League Cricket, 2024 is another exciting clash in Match number 14. It will be MI New York going tooth and nail against Washington Freedom at the Grand Prairie Stadium, Dallas. That game will be played on July 17th, Wednesday and the first ball will be bowled at 6 am IST (12.30 am GMT). Till then take care, and cheers!

Corey Anderson, the victorious skipper of San Francisco Unicorns says that it was a good outing overall. Says that the new ball came on nicely but mentions that when it slowed down, it got tough to play the strokes. Appreciates Sanjay Krishnamurthi and says that he is a young lad and he played a good crucial cameo. On Pat Cummins, he says that Cummins is a world class player and just to have him in the group is a huge luxury. Adds they will plan how to plan the next game at Dallas and would look to get on a roll now.

Heinrich Klaasen, the captain of Seattle Orcas says that they didn't bat well once again and lost key players at the back end. Says they need to close games out responsibly. Says the bowlers have been fantastic but the batters need to step up big time. He says a win here and there can hopefully flip things for them.

Liam Plunkett wins the PLAYER OF THE MATCH Award for his brilliant bowling figures (4-0-26-3). He says that the way the Seattle Orcas batted inside the powerplay, it looked like going one way but after the break, they came back strongly. Adds it got more and more tough to get along as the ball got older. Ends up saying it was all about trying to execute their plans and maximizing that phase.

The presentation ceremony...

Matthew Short is in for a chat. He says that it felt nice to bat there. Adds that he feels good about batting in the first six overs. Mentions that Ryan Rickelton and Quinton de Kock were in form but the wicket was in his favour. Says that Rickelton was in fine form but thinks the wicket was spinning and was a bit skiddy as well. Adds they have been a bit unlucky with the rain. Says in a short tournament like this, every game is critical. Says that they are looking forward to their following games and will look to win them.

Earlier in the game, the Unicorns were asked to bat first and had a bit of a rocky start. JFM was gone in a flash, but then Matthew Short and Finn Allen teamed up for a fireworks display, smashing 75 runs together and sending the score rocketing. But the game twisted as both fell in quick succession and suddenly the boundaries dried up. Cameron Gannon and Imad Wasim spotted their chance and pounced. They snagged three wickets each, tightening the screws on the Unicorns' innings. Just when it looked like the Unicorns might fizzle out, Krishnamurthy charged in for some last-minute heroics. His late blitz helped push the total to a respectable 165, which realistically made the difference in the end.

On the flip side, the Unicorns must have felt that they were short of 10-15 runs. They needed a wicket desperately but couldn't get any breakthrough inside the restrictions. As many as six bowlers were used in the powerplay but they couldn't find that scalp. But the tide turned dramatically when Plunkett finally cracked the code, grabbing the first wicket. Short quickly followed suit, and then Cummins, despite leaking runs, struck gold by dismissing the well-set Jayasuriya. This trio of wickets swung the momentum, with the Unicorns cleverly using slower deliveries to keep the Orcas off-balance. The bowlers then literally ran through the opposition lineup giving away next to nothing and closed up in fine fashion.

However, as the innings progressed, the Orcas found themselves lagging behind the asking rate with Jayasuriya too, back in the hut. Just when they needed a steady partnership to ease the mounting pressure, they kept losing quick wickets with all the hitters back in the hut without any impact. The inning that once looked in absolute command suddenly lost its momentum in a jiffy in the mid overs and just couldn't recover from the collapse.

Done and dusted! The San Francisco Unicorns seal the deal winning this clash by 23 runs and climbing to the third spot. A job well done by the Men in Orange and Blue. The Seattle Orcas on the other hand will be gutted with the way things panned out for them towards the second half of the chase. The Seattle Orcas kicked off their chase of 166 with a measured approach. Shehan Jayasuriya and Ryan Rickelton got things rolling nicely, forming a steady opening partnership and pouncing on any loose deliveries. Jayasuriya, in particular, was the aggressor in chief as he was timing the ball to perfection, making it look effortless. Even as wickets tumbled at the other end, Jayasuriya stood firm, notching up a solid resilient half-century.

On a length and on middle, Hammad Azam turns it to square leg for one. San Francisco Unicorns beat Seattle Orcas by 23 runs!

A yorker. right into the blackhole, Cameron Gannon digs it to covers for one.

Touch short and outside off, Cameron Gannon looks to have it but gets beaten.

A low full toss, Hammad Azam drills it towards deep covers for one.

Short, on off, Cameron Gannon pulls it through mid-wicket for one.

Full, on middle, Cameron Gannon looks to loft it but gets an inside edge onto the pads. Dot!

The Orcas are heading up for their third defeat of the season here and it would be interesting to see how they recover from this in their latter games. However, this game was really under control in the first half with Jayasuriya going hammer and tonks, but they certainly lost the momentum in the next half.