Shadab And Anderson Propel The San Francisco Unicorns To A Victory Over MI New York
In an exhilarating match at Grand Prairie Stadium, Dallas, the San Francisco Unicorns emerged triumphant over MI New York by a margin of 22 runs in the second Major League Cricket encounter. Corey Anderson played a sensational innings, remaining unbeaten on 91 runs off just 52 balls, steering his team to victory. The Unicorns set a formidable target of 215/5 in their allotted 20 overs and managed to restrict MI New York to 193/5.
The Unicorns’ quest began on a high note when Carmi le Roux dismissed Steven Taylor for a duck in the second delivery of the innings. Le Roux struck again in the third over, leaving MI New York struggling at 13/2. Dewald Brevis injected some momentum into MI New York’s innings with two fours and two sixes but fell to Shadab Khan’s bowling for 32 runs off 25 balls in the 9th over.
Nicholas Pooran displayed his power-hitting prowess, launching two maximums off Chaitanya Bishnoi’s bowling in the 11th over, but Liam Plunkett swiftly put an end to his innings with an off-cutter in the following over. Captain Kieron Pollard kept MI New York’s hopes alive with two sixes and a four off Le Roux’s bowling in the 15th over. However, Plunkett sealed the deal for the Unicorns by dismissing Pollard for a spirited 48 runs off 27 balls in the 18th over.
Earlier in the day, the San Francisco Unicorns won the toss and elected to bat first. Kagiso Rabada and Trent Boult wreaked havoc on the Unicorns’ top order, leaving them reeling at 22/3 in 3.1 overs. Aaron Finch attempted to revive the innings, but he too departed after being dismissed by Sarabjit Ladda in the seventh over.
However, the partnership between Corey Anderson and Shadab Khan turned the tide in favor of the Unicorns. The duo shared a magnificent 129-run partnership, with Shadab unleashing his power by smashing a six and a four off Ehsan Adil’s bowling in the 10th over. Anderson and Shadab continued their onslaught by clearing the fence twice off Hammad Azam’s bowling in the 14th over, propelling the Unicorns to a score of 122/4. Shadab’s clean striking continued as he dispatched three sixes and a four off Sarabjit Ladda’s bowling in the 15th over.
Anderson joined the spectacle by hammering three sixes in the subsequent over, elevating the Unicorns’ total to 173/4 in the 16th over. Shadab, unfortunately, fell to Boult for a valiant 61 runs off 30 balls in the following over, while Anderson remained unbeaten on 91 runs. With their commanding total of 215/5 in 20 overs, the Unicorns set a daunting target for MI New York.
In the end, the San Francisco Unicorns emerged as deserving winners, demonstrating exceptional batting prowess coupled with disciplined bowling. Corey Anderson’s outstanding innings, complemented by Shadab Khan’s impactful contribution, proved to be the cornerstone of their victory.
The final scorecard read: San Francisco Unicorns 215/5 (Corey Anderson 91*, Shadab Khan 61, Kagiso Rabada 2/32) defeated MI New York 193/5 (Tim David 53*, Kieron Pollard 48, Liam Plunkett 2/30) by 22 runs.
