MLC 2023 Points Table: Updated standings after Seattle Orcas vs San Francisco Unicorns match, Match 4

The third day of the inaugural Major League Cricket (MLC) saw an intense rivalry between the Seattle Orcas and the San Francisco Unicorns at Grand Prairie Ground in Dallas on July 16.

The Seattle top-order featuring the likes of Nauman Anwar, Shehan Jayasuriya, and Heinrich Klaasen scored heavily, which allowed them to post a competitive target of 178.

In response, San Francisco lost a flurry of wickets at the back end of the innings which derailed them from their chase. Eventually, they were bowled out for 142 handing Seattle a convincing victory.

Following today’s win, Seattle have moved past the Texas Super Kings and have reclaimed the top spot with a healthy NRR of 1.043. They will play their next game against Texas Super Kings on July 21.

San Francisco have slipped to the third position and have an NRR of -0.325. They will play their next game on July 18 against Los Angeles Knight Riders.

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Seattle Orcas Thump The Unicorns By A Colossal Margin of 35 Runs

The Seattle Orcas won the toss and made the most of the ideal batting conditions. The dismissal of wicketkeeper-batter Quinton de Kock early did not deter Seattle one bit. Nauman Anwar and Shehan Jayasuriya shared a 44-run stand for the second wicket in the space of only four overs.

Following the dismissal of Nauman, Klaasen, and Jayasuriya built yet another crucial 47-run stand for the third wicket to get Settle to the 100-run mark in 12 overs. Heinrich was eventually dismissed by Plunkett in the 18th over as he holed out to deep mid-wicket while trying to up the ante.

Shimron Hetmyer scored some runs but not at the pace he would have desired. He scored 36 (30) at a very modest strike rate of 120. He along with Shubham Ranjane stayed unbeaten at the end, dragging Seattle to a competitive first innings total of 177. The fall of Klaasen slowed down Seattle’s scoring rate during the death overs. They could only muster 50 runs in the last five overs as Hetmyer failed to middle the ball to perfection.

In response, the San Francisco Unicorns got off to an electrifying start, scoring 67/2 inside six overs. Matthew Wade and Finn Allen played fiery cameos of 28 (16) and 28 (10) to exert the pressure back on Seattle. However, the Orcas bowlers struck back as Imad Wasim was the man who provided the first breakthrough. Allen was dismissed against the run of play.

Aussie T20 stalwarts, Aaron Finch and Marcus Stoinis took stock of the situation and added 29 runs for the third wicket at a very subdued rate. Both of them perished at the start in quick succession, which reduced Seattle to 87/4. They slipped even further as Andrew Tye and Cameron Gannon got into the act by dismissing the dangerous Corey Anderson and Tajinder Singh cheaply.

Shadab Khan waged a lone battle, scoring 37 of 23 balls. However, with no reliable support from the other end, the Orcas lost their way and eventually fell 36 runs short of their required target. Imad Wasim, Cameron Gannon, and Andrew Tye shared eight wickets between them and kept the run flow pretty much under control. Harmeet Singh picked up a solitary wicket but proved to be highly economical, going at just 3.75 RPO.