The top of Major League Cricket is taking shape as the San Francisco Unicorns down the MI New York by three runs in a closely fought match at the Grand Prairie Cricket Stadium in Texas. Batting first having won the toss the San Francisco Unicorns huffed and puffed their way to 148 for 7 in their 20 overs. On the backs of 59 Corey Anderson who top scored for the team.
What looked like a subpar total was then defended by Unicorns bowlers, who put in an all-round performance with Brody Couch and Matt Short leading the way with two and three wickets respectively. The win pushes the Unicorns to second in the league table, two points behind table toppers the Washington Freedom. For New York, it is more bad news, as they slump to their third consecutive defeat only one point ahead of the Seattle Orcas.
A Slow but Controlled Batting Performance
Having chosen to bat first the San Francisco Unicorns were rocked early being reduced to 7 for 3 in 2.2 overs. And more wickets followed as the Unicorns batsman struggled to come to terms with the conditions and the opposition bowling. Things eventually settled down as Corey Anderson and Hassan Khan got together to steady the ship. Owing to a loss of too many wickets early, the team from San Francisco Unicorns had to be careful with cricket, which slowed down the run rate.
The top par totals for this year in Major League Cricket have hung around the 160 – 180 mark. Teams batting first seek to hit that sweet spot and then put pressure on the opposition. So a score of 148 was by no means formidable, but the question was: is it competitive? The answer to this question would come down to how the San Francisco Unicorns’ bowlers would go about their job, and how MI New York will respond.
MI New York – A Good Start that Falters
Despite losing Ruben Clinton early for a duck, the New York side made good on the chase as Dewald Brevis and Nicholas Pooran took the score to 79 in the tenth over when the second wicket fell. But this was the start of a downward spiral for MI New York, as the Major League Cricket side started losing wickets at regular intervals and was unable to form any meaningful partnerships that could get them on track.
More than wickets, it was the run rate that suffered. Rather unique to the modern T20 game, where teams can successfully defend sub-par scores. For the San Francisco Unicorns, credit is due to the bowled well under the conditions. With an unexpected standout bowling performance by opener Matt Short who picked up three wickets for 27 in his four overs. And was supported by a solid spell by Brody Couch who picked up the key wicket of captain Kieron Pollard.
The Gap Widens at the Top
It seems there is a divide opening up at the top of the Major League Cricket table. Washington Freedom who have been the most dominant side this season with no defeats as of yet, are now joined by the San Francisco Unicorns at the top and both teams look good to make it to the playoffs. For last year’s champions MI New York, there is a lot of soul-searching left to do.
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