Unicorns seal playoffs spot as Allen, Hassan knock Orcas out
Los Angeles Knight Riders, MI New York and Washington Freedom have also qualified for the playoffs
Los Angeles Knight Riders, MI New York and Washington Freedom have also qualified for the playoffs
Commentator: Rashad Mahbub
Well folks, that brings an end to all the action today from Major League Cricket. Thank you for tuning in and staying with us. We have another double-header coming up tomorrow, marking the final match day of the league phase before we move on to the playoffs. Do join us again right here on Cricinfo for more live coverage. Until then, this is Rashad Mahbub signing off on behalf of the entire crew. Mata ne!
Amey: "Does this mean MINY and WSF are qualified?" Yes, they have qualified along with SFU and LAKR.
Matthew Short: "[How do you feel right now?] Personally, a little bit tired, but I'm rapt. The boys played really well there. It is really nice for different guys to stand up at different times, not only tonight but throughout the whole tournament. I think we've locked in the top two, I'm pretty sure, so I'm very happy leading into the finals. [What makes you most proud as captain?] Well, as I just touched on, I think everyone has chipped in at the right time or at different times. There have been guys in and out of form, or guys who have scored runs and taken wickets at crucial times for us. So it's not only one or two players who are standing up. It's Hassan Khan there at the end; it's Hammad Azam yesterday chipping in with some crucial runs, and then different guys taking wickets. I'm a happy captain when you have different guys chipping in. [A quick message to the Unicorn Faithful] Yeah, it's going to be quite fun, actually. Heading back to San Francisco, obviously in front of the home crowd, we had a pretty successful run there a couple of weeks ago. So yeah, we're looking forward to getting there, playing in front of a home crowd, and hopefully we can bring back the trophy and keep it in San Fran."
Player of the Match, Finn Allen: "[How did you stay locked in and ready for this moment?] I guess obviously it hasn't been the start of the comp that I wanted, but I just gave myself a bit more of a chance today. Wanted to stay a bit more disciplined with my mental routine and pretty much just react rather than trying to think too much about what was going on at the other end. [Batting with Lhuan-dre Pretorius] He's a good man. He's playing incredibly good cricket at the moment, so it's been good fun for me to watch from the other end for the few balls that I've been there. He's extremely talented. [Excited to go back to Morrsiville?] Yeah, should be good."
Seattle Orcas Head Coach, Adam Voges: "I thought we probably just lost a few too many wickets early. I think we were four wickets down at the halfway point, and yeah, look, I thought 190 meant we were in the game at least. It was around about maybe 10 under par, but it gave us a fighting chance. [Absence of Harmeet, Baartman and Shanaka] We knew that was going to happen at the back end of the tournament, so we prepared as well as we could for that. We saw Lutho Sipamla come in and Tanveer Sangha. I thought they had an impact tonight. Yeah, we missed those guys, but we knew that was coming for a while. [How do you reflect on this season with your boys?] I think there are a lot of positives to take out of it. We're disappointed. We wanted to make the finals, and unfortunately we've missed out there. I think we'll reflect on a couple of really close games. Tonight's another one of those where we got ourselves into positions to win games. That's the positive part. We just need to be able to finish games off, and probably the last couple of days is a reflection of that."
11:28 pm A blistering cameo from Hassan Khan ensured a comfortable victory for the San Francisco Unicorns. It was a cautious start with the bat for the Unicorns as they lost Pretorius early in the innings, followed by Short being dropped on 2 by Jahangir. Moving to 46 for 1 in the Powerplay, Finn Allen broke loose in the 9th over, smashing two sixes and a four off Sipamla. Allen brought up his half-century off just 25 balls, keeping the scoreboard ticking with massive maximums before his storming innings finally ended when he was caught at long off for a 31-ball 65. Short was then dropped for a second time, this time by Sangha on 28 at deep midwicket. Sangha made amends later, dismissing Krishnamurthi for 26 during a brilliant 16th over that conceded just 4 runs. Short was eventually dismissed for 43 in what looked like a turning point in the game. However, Hassan Khan immediately wrestled back control in the next over, smashing back-to-back sixes off Sangha to completely shift the momentum. Hassan then sealed the game in the penultimate over, taking Stoinis apart for a couple of sixes and two boundaries to put the match to bed. Blasting an unbeaten 36 off just 10 balls, including 2 fours and 4 sixes, Hassan played a gem of a knock to carry his team over the line. With this victory, the Unicorns seal their spot in the playoffs and remain at the top of the table, with a top-two finish likely secure depending on other results. On the other hand, the Seattle Orcas sorely missed the services of their talisman bowler Ottniel Baartman and utility all-rounder Dasun Shanaka, as their bowling unit was taken to the cleaners tonight.
San Francisco Unicorns won by 6 wickets
Los Angeles Knight Riders, MI New York and Washington Freedom have also qualified for the playoffs