In an enthralling Qualifier at Grand Prairie Stadium, Dallas, on Thursday, Quinton de Kock’s sensational innings of 88* runs off 50 balls led the Seattle Orcas to a convincing nine-wicket victory over the Texas Super Kings. By restricting the Super Kings to a modest 126/9, the Orcas showed their dominance before efficiently chasing down the target in just 15 overs.
With this remarkable triumph, the Seattle Orcas secured their place as the first team to reach the Major League Cricket Final. Meanwhile, the Texas Super Kings will face MI New York in the Challenger on Friday, competing for the opportunity to advance to the summit clash. The Major League Cricket Final, eagerly anticipated, is scheduled to take place on Sunday.
The match witnessed a thrilling start when Rusty Theron of the Super Kings dismissed Nauman Anwar for 2 runs from 6 balls in the second over. However, Quinton de Kock quickly swung the momentum in favor of the Seattle Orcas with a flurry of boundaries against Daniel Sams in the subsequent over.
De Kock’s exceptional form with the bat persisted as he reached his well-deserved half-century by launching a maximum off Gerald Coetzee’s delivery in the eleventh over. Supported by Shehan Jayasuriya at the other end, the South African masterfully found the boundaries and steered the Orcas to a remarkable victory in just 15 overs.
Earlier in the day, the Texas Super Kings, after winning the toss, opted to bat first. Captain Faf du Plessis struggled to get going and fell for a mere 5 runs off 8 balls in the third over, thanks to Imad Wasim’s brilliance. Subsequently, the Super Kings lost wickets at regular intervals, finding themselves in dire straits at 66/5 in the twelfth over.
David Miller managed to strike consecutive boundaries off Andrew Tye’s bowling in the sixteenth over, but his innings was cut short at 16 runs from 17 balls during the same over. The Super Kings were reeling at 92/6. Daniel Sams and Calvin Savage fought valiantly in the last few overs, hitting two boundaries and two sixes, ultimately helping the Super Kings post a competitive total in their allotted 20 overs.
Brief Scores: Seattle Orcas 127/1 (Quinton de Kock 88, Shehan Jayasuriya 31, Rusty Theron 1/20) beat Texas Super Kings 126/9 (Daniel Sams 26*, Devon Conway 24, Andrew Tye 3/32) by nine wickets