New Signings

T20 World Cup Winner Matthew Wade Among Latest San Francisco Unicorns Roster Additions for Major League Cricket Season

  • Adding the former Australia Twenty20 (T20) captain and World Cup winner is the latest coup for the Bay Area’s MLC team.
  • The Unicorns also welcomes New Zealand batter Finn Allen, Australian batter Mackenzie Harvey and Afghanistan T20 specialist Qais Ahmad to its international roster.
  • The Unicorns will be one of six teams competing in MLC this July, featuring world-class players in a historic competition, playing the fast-paced T20 cricket format.

The San Francisco Unicorns has announced the latest additions to its inaugural Major League Cricket roster, including T20 World Cup-winning Australian wicket-keeper-batter Matthew Wade.

Wade, who has scored a combined total of over 4,000 runs across all international cricket formats, previously captained the Australian Twenty20 International (T20I) team and was a key member of the team that won the 2021 T20 World Cup.

While the 35-year-old has represented his country in all three major forms of international cricket (Test, 50-overs, and T20) he’s very much a specialist in the fast-paced, short-form T20 format that Major League Cricket will use.

Wade’s domestic career highlights include captaincy of the Tasmanian Tigers and the Hobart Hurricanes. He has previously played in the T20 format in Australia’s Big Bash League, the Indian Premier League, the Pakistan Super League, and The Hundred in England.

“It’s an honor to be a part of this exciting new T20 league and to help contribute to the growth of the sport in the United States,” said Matthew Wade. “I can’t wait to get started and hopefully bring the inaugural trophy home to San Francisco.”

In addition to Wade, the San Francisco Unicorns has made three further signings on its international roster.

Finn Allen, a white-ball specialist for New Zealand, has experience playing in a major T20 league with the Indian Premier League’s Royal Challengers Bangalore. Allen has made 28 T20 International appearances, with a strike rate of 160.41, which stands as a testament to his attacking instincts. 

Mackenzie Harvey, a 22-year-old Australian batter, has already forged a reputation for himself in T20 in his native country’s Big Bash League. Harvey, whose uncle Ian played for Australia, has made 38 appearances for Melbourne Renegades, averaging 22.03 with a highest score of 71 not out. 

Qais Ahmad is an Afghanistan international, who has established a strong reputation in T20 competitions worldwide, and was part of Kent’s team, which won the T20 Blast in England in 2021. Bowling right-arm leg-spin, Qais has taken 149 wickets in T20 matches and has a healthy economy rate of 7.25. 

Wade, Allen, Harvey, and Ahmad will take international slots on the roster alongside Australian T20 world champions Aaron Finch and Marcus Stoinis. 

The domestic roster, populated at Major League Cricket’s historic Inaugural Draft event at the Space Center Houston in March 2023, features 2019 Cricket World Cup champion Liam Plunkett and highly accomplished United States National Cricket Team batting all-rounder Corey Anderson.

In due course, the full roster will be finalized with the announcement of an exceptional fast bowler and an amazing all-rounder.

The Unicorns are coached by three-time 50-over Cricket World Cup winner and two-time Indian Premier League (IPL) Player of the Season Shane Watson. 

Major League Cricket’s historic inaugural season will begin on July 13, 2023, at the league’s newly-constructed venue, Grand Prairie Stadium, in Grand Prairie, TX. 

The San Francisco Unicorns will be joined by five other teams from major U.S. metropolitan areas – representing Dallas, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Seattle, and New York City – who will each feature world-renowned cricket stars on their respective rosters alongside the best talent based in the United States, playing the fast-paced and exciting T20 format of the game.

“We could not be more excited about having players of such quality on our roster ahead of this inaugural Major League Cricket campaign,” said San Francisco Unicorns co-owner Anand Rajaraman. “Matthew Wade’s record at T20 and international levels speaks for itself, and we cannot wait to see how Finn, Mackenzie, and Qais bolster our roster of local heroes and international stars when we take to the field in Texas for the first time this summer.”

In partnership with MLC, the Unicorns are planning to build a world-class stadium in the Bay Area, which will seat up to 15,000 people and be capable of hosting major international cricket events.

“Major League Cricket’s future looks brighter each day as we continue to add talented and celebrated cricketers to our roster,” said San Francisco co-owner Venky Harinarayan. “The start of this tournament is just around the corner, and we are confident in our squad’s quality. We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to bring this great sport to the United States.”