San Francisco Unicorns kept their Major League Cricket playoff hopes alive with a five-wicket victory over MI New York in Pomona on Monday, bowling out their opponents for 104 before Sanjay Krishnamurthi's unbeaten 48 guided a comfortable chase after Matthew Short's career-best spell of 4 for 17 set up the win.

San Francisco Unicorns strengthened their push for a Major League Cricket playoff berth with a five-wicket victory over MI New York in Pomona on July 6, successfully chasing 105 in 16.5 overs after a disciplined bowling performance led by Matthew Short.
Sanjay Krishnamurthi's unbeaten 48 guided San Francisco Unicorns to a five-wicket victory over MI New York in Pomona. Photo by Shaun Roy / Sportzpics for MLC

Short produced the standout display of the match, claiming 4 for 17 from four overs as MI New York were dismissed for 104. Sanjay Krishnamurthi then anchored the chase with an unbeaten 48 off 45 balls, ensuring the Unicorns reached 105 for 5 with 19 deliveries to spare.

Asked to bat first, MI New York suffered an immediate setback when Quinton de Kock was dismissed for a golden duck, caught by Lhuan-dre Pretorius off Xavier Bartlett with the first ball of the innings. Monank Patel made 11 before falling to Brody Couch, while Nicholas Pooran's 20 ended when he was bowled by Haris Rauf. At 45 for 5 inside seven overs, MI New York were already facing an uphill battle.

Short then dismantled the middle and lower order in a decisive spell. The off-spinner removed Tajinder Singh, Kieron Pollard, Corey Anderson and Tristan Luus to finish with 4 for 17, denying MI New York any chance of recovery.


Corbin Bosch offered the only significant resistance with 21 from 22 balls, while Faisal Khan Ahmadzai added 6 late in the innings before Aaron Hardie trapped him lbw. Couch complemented Short's efforts with 3 for 32, Rauf returned economical figures of 1 for 13 with a maiden over, and Hardie conceded just 20 runs while taking one wicket as MI New York were bowled out in their full allocation of 20 overs.

San Francisco's pursuit began in similarly dramatic fashion. Lhuan-dre Pretorius was bowled first ball by Ahmadzai, while Finn Allen departed for 5 in the third over, also to the Afghanistan seamer. Short contributed 21 before Tristan Luus accounted for the all-rounder, and Hardie fell for 4, leaving the Unicorns at 66 for 4 with work still to do.

Krishnamurthi, however, ensured there would be no collapse. Displaying patience on a surface that had eased compared to the first innings, he paced the chase expertly while rotating the strike and capitalising on scoring opportunities. He shared a valuable partnership with Hassan Khan, whose 11 ended when he was stumped off Tajinder Singh, before guiding the Unicorns home without further alarm.

Krishnamurthi remained unbeaten on 48, finishing the chase alongside Bartlett, who was 1 not out. Luus claimed 2 for 21 and Ahmadzai finished with 2 for 23, but MI New York's modest total never gave their bowlers sufficient margin for error.

The victory keeps San Francisco Unicorns firmly in contention for a place in the knockout stage as the league phase enters its closing stretch. For MI New York, another batting collapse raises fresh concerns, with improving top-order stability likely to be crucial if they are to secure qualification for the playoffs.