Now the Major League Cricket in the United States is in full swing. The Seattle Orcas, have registered their first win of the competition. Following the disappointment of the first game, when the team from Washington state went down tamely to MI New York, the Orcas, led by South Africa international Heinrich Klaasen came back strong to down the La Knight Riders by nine Wickets.
It was a measured performance by the Seattle Orcas. Having restricted the powerful La Knight Riders batting lineup to 168 for 5 in their 20 overs, the Orcas didn’t seem it necessary to rush their response. Having lost opener Nauman Anwar early, the team settled down to pace the innings, and to get to the target with as few risks as possible. Which is what they did.
Seattle Orcas Restrict the La Knight Riders
Despite losing their last game against the San Francisco Unicorns, the La Knight Riders are a force to be reckoned with. With top-class batters like David Miller, and Andre Russell in the lineup. And the Knight Riders got off to a decent start, posting 67 in 9.3 overs at the fall of the 2nd wicket. However, that is when the Seattle Orcas’ bowling attack put the screws on the La middle order.
With Cameron Gannon, Zaman Khan, and Imad Wasim locking down the opposition batsman and knocking a few off as well. Jason Roy was the top scorer for the La Knight Riders with 69 off 52 deliveries. With late impetus provided by David Miller who smashed 44 off 22 inclusive of two sixes. The trouble was this was not enough, especially given the batting of the opposition.
Orcas Chase – The Ryan Rickelton Show
169 was one of those scores in T20 cricket. A score that is not too imposing but not an easy one either. And a lot depends on how the top order of the chasing side pace themselves in going about it. For the Seattle Orcas, that man happened to be Ryan Rickelton. The 27-year-old South African native played a superb 103 off 66 inclusive of five sixes.
This meant that other players, Quinton de Kock to be exact, just had to hang around and provide support whilst Rickelton blasted the Knight Riders bowling to all corners. However, as the game neared its end, things became a bit tricky, as the Orcas got to the score with just one ball to spare. But a win is a win. However going forward, they would not like to cut it that fine. With the power-hitting that is at their disposal, finishing games off sooner rather than later should be the way forward for the Orcas.
Major League Cricket Table – No Clear Leaders At the Moment
Whilst it is still early days for the season and the league as a whole-things are already shaping up pretty nicely, as the six major franchises battle it out for the top spot. With five of the six teams registering a win, with no result leaves the Texas Super Kings with no points. For cricket fans in America and elsewhere, if there were questions surrounding the quality of players and competitiveness of the cricket being played, games like this should put those doubts to rest.
Major League Cricket is a growing force. Powered by a strong contingent of cricket followers, many of them first and second-generation immigrants from cricketing nations like India, and a growing awareness of the game thanks to tournaments like the T20 World Cup 2024. So things are looking good for cricket in America. The question will it ever rise to the prestige of a sport like baseball?
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