GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas (June 20, 2026) — Lhuan-dre Pretorius produced a mature unbeaten half-century as the San Francisco Unicorns cruised to a seven-wicket victory over the Texas Super Kings in Major League Cricket action at Grand Prairie Stadium.

Chasing a target of 153, the Unicorns reached 153 for 3 in 17.5 overs, with Pretorius anchoring the innings with an unbeaten 69 from 55 deliveries. The victory was set up earlier by a disciplined bowling effort led by veteran seamer Peter Siddle and all-rounder Matthew Short, who combined to restrict Texas to 152 for 9 from their 20 overs.
A composed unbeaten 69 from Lhuan-dre Pretorius paved the way for the San Francisco Unicorns' seven-wicket triumph over the Texas Super Kings. Photo by Shaun Roy / Sportzpics for MLC

After being asked to bat first, Texas endured a difficult start as both openers fell inside the powerplay. Captain Faf du Plessis was dismissed by Brody Couch, while Siddle removed Saiteja Mukkamalla to leave the Super Kings under early pressure.

Rilee Rossouw attempted to stabilize the innings with a patient 36 off 29 balls, while Milind Kumar briefly injected momentum with a quickfire 17 that included two sixes. However, regular wickets prevented Texas from building substantial partnerships, and the middle order struggled to maintain the scoring rate.

With the innings in danger of fading away, Hardus Viljoen provided a valuable late contribution. The South African all-rounder struck an unbeaten 33 from 24 balls, including three sixes, to lift the Super Kings beyond the 150-run mark. Donovan Ferreira added 21 before being run out during the closing stages.

Siddle was the standout performer with the ball, finishing with 3 for 36, while Short delivered an economical spell of 2 for 25. Ghulam Mudassar also kept the pressure on throughout the middle overs as the Unicorns consistently limited scoring opportunities.


In reply, San Francisco suffered an early setback when explosive opener Finn Allen was caught behind off Nandre Burger. However, Short quickly shifted the momentum with a brisk 31 from 19 deliveries, striking freely before falling lbw to Amshi de Silva.

Pretorius then took control of the chase, displaying composure and patience while steadily guiding his side toward the target. He first shared a useful partnership with Connor Esterhuizen, who contributed 20, before combining with Sanjay Krishnamurthi in an unbroken stand that carried the Unicorns home.

Pretorius reached his half-century in measured fashion before accelerating when required, finishing unbeaten on 69 with eight boundaries and a six. Krishnamurthi remained not out on 19 as the pair completed the chase with more than two overs to spare.

The Unicorns' victory was built on disciplined bowling and intelligent batting, with Pretorius delivering the standout performance of the match. For Texas, Viljoen’s late resistance ensured a competitive total, but the Super Kings were unable to apply sustained pressure with the ball as San Francisco comfortably secured their first win of the campaign.

Brief Scores: Texas Super Kings 152/9 in 20 overs (Rilee Rossouw 36, Hardus Viljoen 33*; Peter Siddle 3/36, Matthew Short 2/25) lost to San Francisco Unicorns 153/3 in 17.5 overs (Lhuan-dre Pretorius 69*, Matthew Short 31; Nandre Burger 1/13, Amshi de Silva 1/21) by seven wickets.