
UNICORNS FALL TO ORCAS IN MLC’S FLORIDA DEBUT
San Francisco Unicorns, 168/5 (S Krishnamurthi, 41; J Fraser-McGurk, 35) lost to Seattle Orcas, 169/6 (S Hetmyer, 78*; X Bartlett, 2/24) by 4 wickets
The San Francisco Unicorns came up short defending a total of 168/5 against the Seattle Orcas, with MVP Shimron Hetmyer continuing his fine form in a three-wicket win to put them in control of the final playoff spot in Cognizant Major League Cricket 2025.
In the first MLC match to be held in Lauderhill, Florida, the league leaders were put into a bat on what looked to be an unknown quantity of a pitch, with both moisture and a grippy outfield set to pose notably different conditions to the dry climes of Grand Prairie.
The Orcas drew first blood, with Matt Short slapping a Harmeet Singh delivery straight to cover for two in the first over. Jake Fraser-McGurk took the game on in Singh’s next, plundering three straight boundaries, before Finn Allen smashed the first Florida six in the next off Kyle Mayers.
Gerald Coetzee and Ayan Desai closed off the powerplay, with the latter luring Allen (23) into a mistime to long on to end the first six overs with the Unicorns on 51-2. Fraser-McGurk soon followed him back to the dugout for 33 off 22, with Steven Taylor taking a fine catch on the rope off captain Sikandar Raza’s slower ball.
Sanjay Krishnamurthi showed his intent immediately, clearing the boundary off consecutive balls off Waqar, then following up with two more maximums against Raza in the next, but the Orcas soon looked to have worked out a profitable strategy for the pitch. Overs 10 to 16 went for just two boundaries, as well as the wicket of Krishnamurthi, bowled through the gate by Waqar for 41.
Tim Seifert (31*) and Hassan Khan knocked a couple of much needed sixes off of Mayers in the 17th, but Khan (14) mistimed a a pull shot to Raza in the deep next over, bringing Romario Shepherd (13*) in who cleared the fence on his first ball and the last of the innings to leave the Orcas a chase of 169 to win.
Protecting what was potentially an under par score, the Unicorns bowling attack held Steven Taylor and Shayan Jahangir to just four runs off the first two overs, with the third seeing Xavier Bartlett land Taylor’s wicket for a ten-ball duck. The containment continued through the powerplay, with the Orcas ending it on 31/2, with Mayers caught for three for Bartlett’s second wicket.
Karima Gore, bowling his first over in Unicorns colours, took the limelight in the tenth over, firstly making a sharp tip on to the non-strikers stumps to end Raza’s innings, run out for 11, then next ball claiming his first wicket, clean bowling Jahangir for 36. While the momentum was with the Unicorns, this eventful over brought in dangerman Hetmyer to the crease.
Going with form, Hetmyer begun to find regular boundaries, and despite the Orcas losing Heinrich Klaasen at the other end for five, the required rate was slowly drawn in. Aaron Jones struck one to Gore at deep mid wicket for 14, but with just 30 needed off the last 18 balls, the game was up as Hetmyer earned the Orcas their third win on the spin with three balls to go, ending unbeaten on 78 off 37.
San Francisco Unicorns remain at the top of the MLC ladder, having won six from eight, and will look to return to winning ways against Texas Super Kings on July 4, with the Seattle Orcas taking a huge step towards the playoffs, with the form side now two wins clear of MI New York and LA Knight Riders, with fate in their own hands.