Tag: MLC 2024

DALLAS: Steve Smith scored a swashbuckling half-century and led Washington Freedom to crush San Francisco Unicorns by 96 runs and win the Major League Cricket (MLC) 2024 here on Sunday.

Unicorns’ captain Corey Anderson’s decision to bowl first after winning the coin toss backfired as the Freedom registered a mammoth total of 207/5 on the board.

The Freedom, however, had a contrasting start to their innings as their explosive opener Travis Head (9) perished in the second over with just 11 runs on the board.

But in-form Steve Smith remained firm and dominated the Unicorns’ bowlers with exceptional hitting.

The right-handed batter oversaw Unicorns’ innings until his dismissal in the 17th over.

Steve Smith had an agonizing end to his brilliant knock as he fell short of a well-deserved century, scoring 88 off 52 deliveries, peppered with seven fours and six sixes.

Smith was involved in an important fourth-wicket partnership with Glenn Maxwell, which yielded 83 runs.

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Maxwell walked back to the pavilion in the 18th over after scoring a 22-ball 40.

Later, Mukhtar Ahmed (19) and Obus Pienaar (13) gave final touches to Washington Freedom’s innings.

Pat Cummins bagged two wickets for the Unicorns while Hassan Khan, Haris Rauf and Juanoy Drysdale made one scalp each.

Chasing a daunting total, the Unicorns never got going and eventually bundled out on 111 in 16 overs.

Carmi le Roux remained the top-scorer for the Unicorns with a 19-ball 20, followed by Josh Inglis (18).

Marco Jansen and Rachin Ravindra bagged three wickets each while Andrew Tye claimed two. Saurabh Netravalkar and Maxwell chipped in with a wicket apiece.

For his match-winning half-century, Steve Smith was adjudged the Player of the Match in the MLC 2024 final.

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DALLAS: Finn Allen’s quickfire century was enough to propel San Francisco Unicorns into the Major League Cricket (MLC) 2024 final as Texas Super Kings fell short by 10 runs in the Challenger here at Grand Prairie Stadium on Friday.

Super Kings’ captain Faf du Plessis’ decision to put Unicorns into bat first did not turn out to be beneficial for his side as they registered a massive total on the board.

The Unicorns finished their innings at 200/6 in the allotted 20 overs with Allen leading the charge with a quick hundred.

The New Zealand international went after the Super Kings’ bowlers from the word go and went on to smash nine fours and five sixes amid his sensational knock that lasted in the 14th over.

Finn Allen remained the top-scorer for the Unicorns with a 53-ball 101.

Wicketkeeper batter Josh Inglis then made sure to keep the momentum going in the Unicorns’ favour with a brisk cameo.

All-rounder Hassan Khan supported Inglis as the two shared an important 34-run partnership for the fifth wicket.

Inglis perished in the penultimate over after a 25-ball 37 while Khan made an unbeaten 27 off 15 deliveries.

Noor Ahmad was the pick of the bowlers for the Super Kings, picking up three wickets while Ottneil Baartman, Marcus Stoinis and Mohammad Mohsin made one scalp each.

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In response, the Super Kings could manage 190/4 in their quota of 20 overs despite a flying start.

Their skipper du Plessis smashed the Unicorns’ bowlers all around the ground right from the start and gave his side a solid platform to chase down the total.

But a stunning catch from Corey Anderson off Carmi le Roux drew curtains on his blazing knock in the fifth over with 55 runs on the board.

Faf du Plessis scored 45 off just 22 deliveries, hitting seven fours and a six.

His dismissal pushed the Super Kings to the backfoot as the scoring rate slowed down.

The home side lost three more wickets at regular intervals and were reduced to 91/4 at the halfway mark.

Conway, who batted cautiously until that point, finally received some support from the other end in the form of Joshua Tromp.

The duo fought valiantly in the concluding phase of the match but despite putting up a hundred runs amid their unbeaten fifth-wicket partnership, failed to steer the Super Kings over the line.

Conway remained the top-scorer for the Super Kings with a gritty 62 off 38 deliveries, laced up with four fours and two sixes while Tromp made 56 not out in just 36 balls.

Juanoy Drysdale led the bowling attack for the Unicorns with two wickets while Hassan Khan and Carmi le Roux chipped in with a wicket apiece.

San Francisco Unicorns will face Washington Freedom in the MLC 2024 final, scheduled to take place at the same venue on Sunday.

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DALLAS: Rachin Ravindra’s four-fer followed by Travis Head and Glenn Maxwell’s blistering half-centuries steered Washington Freedom to Major League Cricket (MLC) 2024 final with a thumping victory over San Francisco Unicorns on Thursday.

Washington Freedom invited San Francisco Unicorns to bat and bundled them to a meagre 145. The small target was easily chased in 15.3 overs at a loss of three wickets.

Marco Jansen gave Washington Freedom a good start with the ball, removing Finn Allen in the first over. He then bowled Josh Inglis to close the sixth over at a score of 49-3.

Rachin Ravindra trapped Sanjay Krishnamurthi in front of the stumps in the next over to pick his first wicket of the day.

Hassan Khan came out to bat after the wicket of Krishnamurthi and played a brilliant knock of 57 runs from 36 balls with the help of six sixes.

Meanwhile, Ravindra came to complete the 18th over after Lockie Ferguson pulled his hamstring after two balls. Ravindra picked two wickets without giving any run in the next four balls.

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Hassan Khan was still unbeaten with nine wickets down, he struck the last of his six sixes in the next over against Saurabh Netravalkar before he also fell prey to Ravindra on the first ball of the last over.

Ravindra returned with figures of 4-11 in 2.4 overs. During his 16-ball spell, he bowled a whopping 11 dot balls. Meanwhile, Marco Jansen picked three wickets.

While chasing 146, Washington Freedom lost Steve Smith in the second over. However, Travis Head kept the Freedom in the hunt with his aggressive strokeplay.

Head struck 41 runs during the 51-run partnership with Andries Gous (9). Hassan Khan removed Gous and Rachindra (3) to dent the pursuit.

But Glenn Maxwell joined Head and together they steered the side to a comfortable victory with an unbeaten 85-run partnership from 40 balls.

Head scored 77 runs from 44 balls, featuring 10 boundaries and three sixes, while Maxwell struck 54 off 23 with the help of four boundaries and five sixes.

San Francisco Unicorns will face off against Texas Super Kings in the Challenger match to determine the second finalist of the MLC 2024.

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DALLAS: Faf du Plessis stood out with a blistering 72-run knock as Texas Super Kings defeated MI New York by nine wickets in the Eliminator of the Major League Cricket (MLC) 2024 on Wednesday.

MI New York while batting first posted 163-8, which Texas Super Kings chased down with ease in 18.3 overs.

Faf du Plessis led the chase with his quick-fire knock, with support from Devon Conway as they posted a 101-run opening stand in 12.3 overs to keep the Super Kings in command.

The former South African captain scored 72 runs from 47 balls, laced with six boundaries and three sixes before Nosthush Kenjige ended his brilliant knock.

The unfazed Conway was joined by Aaron Hardie and together they steered the side to a comfortable victory with nine balls to spare.

Conway played a composed knock of 51 runs from 43 balls with three fours and one six, while Hardie struck 40 off 22, featuring three boundaries and two sixes.

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Earlier, Zia-ul-Haq gave the Super Kings a good start with the ball as he Dewald Brevis in the first over.

Shayan Jahangir played a scratchy 26-run knock from 23 balls before Monank Patel played a similar knock, scoring 48 off 41.

However, Rashid Khan helped the team to post a fighting total with a quick 55-run innings from 30 balls with the help of four boundaries and four sixes.

Khan got out in the penultimate over before Hardie bowled a brilliant last over.

Kieron Pollard and Heath Richards fell on back-to-back deliveries, but Hardie missed his hat-trick as Trent Boult got run out on the last ball of the innings.

Hardie and Marcus Stoinis picked two wickets each for the Super Kings, while Zia-ul-Haq, Noor Ahmad and Dwayne Bravo bagged one each.

Texas Super Kings will next face the loser of the MLC 2024 Qualifier between San Francisco Unicorns and Washington Freedom.

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DALLAS: Calvin Savage struck an unbeaten 45 and took two crucial top-order wickets to lead Texas Super Kings to a 37-run victory against Seattle Orcas in the last group-stage match of the Major League Cricket (MLC) 2024 on Tuesday.

Texas Super Kings after being invited to bat first posted a fighting total of 177-8 in the first innings and curtailed Seattle Orcas to 140-9 to secure a dominant victory.

Faf du Plessis gave the Super Kings a blistering start with a quick knock of 39 runs from 17 balls which featured six boundaries and one six, however, the team slipped to 49-3 in 5.1 overs.

Milind Kumar played cautious innings, scoring 29 off 28 with two sixes before Savage knitted a 43-run partnership with Cameron Stevenson (17).

Savage played a brilliant 27-ball knock, scoring 45 runs with the help of six boundaries and two sixes to help propel the team’s total to 177-8 in their allocated 20 overs.

Ayan Desai and Keemo Paul picked two wickets each for Seattle Orcas, while Cameron Gannon, Nandre Burger and Michael Bracewell bagged one each.

In response, Quinton de Kock and Shehan Jayasuriya helped Seattle Orcas get off to a decent start after losing Ryan Rickelton on the first ball.

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De Kock scored 26 off 19 with two boundaries and one six, while Jayasuriya managed a scratchy 24 with the help of three boundaries and one six.

However, Savage removed both set batters in consecutive overs to reduce the Orcas to 59-3 in 8.1 overs.

The chasing side lost two more quick wickets before Keemo Paul added 39 runs with Shubham Ranjane (16) for the sixth wicket.

Noor Ahmed castled Paul after he had scored 25 off 17 to dash the last remaining hope of the Orcas as the required run rate went above 18.

Seattle Orcas, the bottom-ranked side in the MLC 2024 points table, managed to score 140 runs in 20 overs after losing nine wickets.

Ottneil Baartman led the bowling charts for the Texas Super Kings with three wickets, while Savage and Noor Ahmed picked two wickets each.

Texas Super Kings finished the group stage in third position and will face MI New York in the Eliminator of the MLC 2024.

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DALLAS: Sanjay Krishnamurthy’s unbeaten half-century, supported by Josh Inglis and Hassan Khan’s cameos, propelled the San Francisco Unicorns to victory over the Washington Freedom in a thrilling Major League Cricket (MLC) 2024 clash on Monday.

The match was reduced to 14 overs due to persistent rain at Grand Prairie Stadium and San Francisco Unicorns were set to chase a revised target of 177 runs, which they successfully achieved with two balls to spare.

Although they did not get the desired start as Akeal Hosein removed Finn Allen on the first ball, Jake Fraser-McGurk and Krishnamurthy stabilized the innings with a 45-run partnership.

Andrew Tye provided the breakthrough in 4.4 overs, sending Fraser-McGurk back after he scored 18 off 9 with two boundaries.

Krishnamurthy was joined by Inglis and they tilted the game completely in the Unicorns’ favour with a swashbuckling partnership of 77 runs from 30 balls.

Inglis smashed six sixes, with three of them coming in consecutive deliveries of Jack Edwards, during his 45-run knock, taking only 17 balls.

Tye once again broke the partnership as he dismissed Inglis, followed by the wicket of Sherfane Rutherford in the same over.

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Hassan Khan joined Krishnamurthy and continued the onslaught which Inglis had started, scoring 55 runs in 22 balls and steering the side to a crushing six-wicket victory.

Krishnamurthy scored an unbeaten 79 off 42 balls with the help of five boundaries and six sixes, while Hassan scored 32 runs from 11 balls, laced with four boundaries and two sixes.

Earlier, Travis Head and Steve Smith constructed a 101-run opening stand after being invited to bat by the Unicorns captain Corey Anderson.

Both batters scored 56 runs each before falling to Anderson in back-to-back overs as Washington Freedom were reduced to 122-2 in 11.4 overs.

Andries Gous played an unbeaten yet cautious 29-run knock from 20 balls, while Rachin Ravindra struck 16 off 6 to help push the team’s total to 174-3 in 15.3 overs before rain halted the play.

The rain break was long enough to reduce overs, marking the end of Unicorns’ innings.

DALLAS: Kieron Pollard’s unbeaten 33-run knock after the prized scalp of Andre Russell powered MI New York to a four-wicket victory over LA Knight Riders and qualify for the Major League Cricket (MLC) 2024 Playoffs.

Put into bat first, the Knight Riders’ batting unit unfolded on a modest total of 130 in 19.1 overs despite Russell’s courageous knock.

The Knight Riders had a shaky start to their innings as they lost Sunil Narine in the second over with just 17 runs on the board.

Jason Roy put up a notable fight despite losing another partner — Unmukt Chand (9). But his resistance lasted in the seventh over as Rashid Khan outfoxed him with a googly.

Roy struck three fours and a six on his way to a 23-ball 27.

The Knight Riders lost two more wickets in quick succession and consequently slipped to 78/5 in 12.3 overs.

Coming out to bat at No.7, Andre Russell launched a counterattack on MI New York bowlers with belligerent hitting but lamented support as he kept losing partners on the other hand.

His fireworks lasted on the first delivery of the final over when he fell victim to his compatriot Kieron Pollard.

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Russell remained the top-scorer for the Knight Riders with a 21-ball 35 which featured six fours and a six.

Rashid Khan was the pick of the bowlers for MI New York, returning brilliant figures of 3/22, followed by Nosthush Kenjige and Trent Boult, who bagged two each.

Despite chasing a modest total, MI New York had to make hard yards as they lost six wickets in the process.

However, Pollard’s quickfire knock powered the defending champions to victory with 18 balls to spare.

Pollard scored an unbeaten 33 off 12 deliveries, laced up with two fours and three sixes. He was involved in a match-defining 35-run partnership for the sixth wicket with Nicholas Pooran, who remained the top-scorer with an anchoring 35 off 28.

Besides the West Indian duo, South Africa’s batting prodigy Dewald Brewis made a notable contribution with a 19-ball 27 up the order.

For LA Knight Riders, Sunil Narine claimed two wickets while Ali Khan, Andre Russell, Spencer Johnson and Corné Dry made one scalp each.

Upon their qualification in the MLC 2024 playoffs, MI New York will take on Texas Super Kings in the Eliminator.

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DALLAS: Finn Allen’s blistering innings led San Francisco Unicorns to a thumping victory against Seattle Orcas in a one-sided Major League Cricket (MLC) 2024 match at Grand Prairie Stadium on Saturday.

San Francisco Unicorns’ captain Corey Anderson opted to field first. Carmi le Roux proved the decision right as he removed both openers in the first three deliveries of the innings.

Quinton de Kock then struck a brilliant 62 from 33 balls during a 98-run stand for the third wicket with Shehan Jayasuriya (31).

De Kock smashed eight boundaries and three boundaries during his innings before he fell prey to Brody Couch.

Hassan Khan bowled a brilliant spell of two overs, taking three wickets for only five runs to reduce the Orcas to 116-7 in 16 overs.

Shubham Ranjane (26 off 25) and Imad Wasim (17 off 11) added valuable runs in death overs to push the team’s total to 152-7 in their allocated 20 overs.

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Hassan Khan led the bowling charts with three wickets, while Carmi le Roux returned with figures of 2-14.

In response, Finn Allen and Matthew Short powered San Francisco Unicorns to 84 in 6.4 overs before Imad Wasim provided the first breakthrough to the Orcas.

Allen fell in the next over after scoring a fiery 77 from 30 balls, which featured eight boundaries and six sixes.

Despite two wickets in quick succession, the Unicorns were in a comfortable position with 55 required off 12 overs.

Josh Inglis then played an unbeaten 24-run cameo to steer his side to a comfortable six-wicket victory with 34 balls to spare.

With four victories in six games during MLC 2024, San Francisco Unicorns has confirmed their place in the top two besides table-toppers Washington Freedom.

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DALLAS: Travis Head and Steve Smith’s half-centuries, followed by Rachin Ravindra’s four-fer steered Washington Freedom to a 42-run victory over Texas Super Kings in the 17th match of the Major League Cricket (MLC) 2024.

Put into bat first, Washington Freedom posted a massive total of 206/5 on the board, courtesy of half-centuries by Head and Smith.

Left-handed opener Head gave the Freedom a flying start with a quickfire half-century.

He added 59 runs for the first wicket with Smith, who managed to face just six balls inside the batting powerplay.

Head returned to the dugout in the fifth over with a 22-ball 53, laced up with 10 boundaries including two sixes.

The Freedom, however, soon slipped to 79/3 in 6.5 overs as Andries Gous and Rachin Ravindra perished with modest contributions.

Smith then played an anchoring role by holding one end firm, allowing Glenn Maxwell to take charge.

The all-rounder took on the Super Kings’ bowlers with his quick 34-run cameo which came off 23 deliveries and featured one four and three sixes.

Following Maxwell’s dismissal, Smith got going and notched up a well-crafted half-century.

He oversaw Freedom’s innings until the penultimate over and returned as the top-scorer with his 40-ball 57, peppered with two fours and three sixes.

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Middle-order batter Obus Pienaar played a pivotal role in pushing the Freedom’s total past the 200-run barrier with his unbeaten cameo. He scored an unbeaten 33 off 21 with the help of three sixes.

Nood Ahmad was the star with the ball for the Super Kings, picking up three wickets while Dwayne Bravo bagged two.

Chasing a daunting 207-run target, the Super Kings’ batting lineup unfolded on 164 on the penultimate delivery of the innings.

The home side, however, got off to a flamboyant start to the run chase with Faf du Plessis leading the charge in the batting powerplay, which yielded 76 runs.

But the Super Kings’ skipper lost the momentum after the batting powerplay and that sort of personified the Super Kings’ problems, who also lost steam once the field spread out, and kept losing wickets at regular intervals.

Faf du Plessis top-scored for the Super Kings with a 32-ball 55 which featured five fours and as many sixes.

Calvin Savage played a fighting cameo towards the end but that only helped in slightly reducing the margin of defeat rather than forcing a turnaround.

Savage struck two fours and three sixes on his way to a 23-ball 35.

Rachin Ravindra led the bowling attack for the Super Kings with 4/16 in his 3.5 overs while Jasdeep Singh and Glenn Maxwell shared six wickets between them.

The resounding 42-run victory solidified Washington Freedom’s grip at the top of the MLC standings with 11 points in six matches while Texas Super Kings remained third with six points in as many matches.

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DALLAS: Pakistan speedster Haris Rauf held his nerves calm to defend 20 runs in a last-ball Major League Cricket (MLC) 2024 thriller here at Grand Prairie Stadium on Thursday.

The 16th match of the MLC 2024 between San Francisco Unicorns and MI New Yorks came right down to the wire as the defending champions needed 20 runs off the final over.

Heath Richards and Rashid Khan were on strike for MI New York while Unicorns’ captain Corey Anderson entrusted Haris Rauf to bowl the tense final over.

Rauf had an unwanted start to the over as Richards launched his fuller delivery for a six.

The pacer regrouped and managed to execute a yorker on the next delivery and Richards worked it for a single.

Rauf followed the yorker with a slower one to Rashid, who powers it towards midwicket fielder for a couple.

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Haris Rauf then went for a pacy fuller delivery on middle and off and Rashid went for a wild slog but it landed just ahead of the fielder at long-off for a single.

Rauf then went for another slower ball but this time Richards was ready and he struck the ball clean over deep mid-wicket for a maximum, bringing the equation down to four off the final ball.

Rauf then bowled a zipping fuller delivery, honing into the off stump and Richards, who had been accessing the areas in front of the wicket so well throughout his innings, decided to play the reverse lap.

However, the right-handed batter was very late on the stroke and got nowhere close to a connection. The ball flicked the pad and then deflected straight to wicketkeeper batter Josh Inglis.

Haris Rauf appealed for an lbw and the on-field umpire Marais Erasmus, took his time, before raising the finger. Richards did not review and San Francisco Unicorns won by three runs.

The narrow three-run victory over MI New York powered San Francisco Unicorns into the MLC 2024 playoffs.

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