MI New York Secures MCL Title with Impressive Victory Over Seattle Orcas
In a thrilling showdown on Sunday at Grand Prairie Stadium, Dallas, MI New York emerged victorious, claiming the first-ever Major League Cricket title, all thanks to an outstanding performance by wicketkeeper-batter Nicholas Pooran. Pooran’s breathtaking display with the bat saw him score a remarkable 137 runs off just 55 balls, single-handedly guiding MI New York to a resounding seven-wicket win over Seattle Orcas.
The match began with MI New York opting to put Seattle Orcas into bat after winning the toss. Quinton de Kock showed promising form but eventually fell for 9 runs off 13 balls to Rashid Khan’s delivery. Despite some early wickets, De Kock’s partnership with Shubham Ranjane put Orcas in a decent position, reaching 142/4 in 16.1 overs. Dwaine Pretorius’s late cameo bolstered their total, setting a challenging target of 183/9 for MI New York.
As MI New York stepped up to the challenge, they encountered a shaky start, with Steven Taylor departing early in the opening over. However, Nicholas Pooran was determined to make an impact, blasting consecutive sixes off Imad Wasim’s bowling and setting the tone for an extraordinary innings. Pooran’s outstanding form was on full display as he hammered three sixes and two boundaries off Dwaine Pretorius in the third over.
Despite losing opening batter Shayan Jahangir, Pooran kept the momentum going by unleashing three more sixes off Andrew Tye’s bowling. His innings was a dazzling display of power-hitting, comprising an astonishing total of 10 fours and an impressive 13 sixes.
In the end, Pooran remained unbeaten on his incredible score of 137 runs off just 55 balls, guiding MI New York to a swift victory, reaching the target in just 16 overs with four overs to spare.
Following the triumph, Nicholas Pooran, also the leading run-scorer and MLC Season 1 MVP, expressed his pride in the team’s collective effort and their commitment to doing something special. He credited his teammates for their contributions and mentioned the importance of backing his skills during his batting masterclass.
Seattle Orcas’ Captain Wayne Parnell acknowledged Pooran’s exceptional display and commended MI New York’s team effort. Despite a decent total on the board, Parnell admitted that Pooran’s performance was simply unstoppable.
As the inaugural MLC season concluded, both teams expressed gratitude to the organizers, owners, and management for a successful tournament and allowing players the freedom to showcase an exhilarating brand of cricket.
With Nicholas Pooran’s memorable innings etched into cricket history, MI New York lifted the MCL title in a remarkable conclusion to an exciting inaugural season.
Brief Scores: MI New York 184/3 (Nicholas Pooran 137*, Dewald Brevis 20, Imad Wasim 1/14) beat Seattle Orcas 183/9 (Quinton de Kock 87, Shubham Ranjane 29, Rashid Khan 3/9) by 7 wickets
