MLC: Corey Anderson's heroics help Unicorns clinch 22-run win over MI New York
C
orey Anderson played a scintillating 91* runs off 52 balls to help the San Francisco Unicorns defeat MI New York by 22 runs in the second match of Major League Cricket at Grand Prairie Stadium, Dallas on Friday.
The Unicorns posted 215/5 in their 20 overs before restricting MI New York to 193/5, as per a press release from MLC.
Chasing 216 runs, the Unicorns got off to a perfect start with the ball as 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 reeling at 13/2. Dewald Brevis provided the much-needed impetus to MI New York's innings with two fours and two sixes, but he was sent packing for 32 runs off 25 balls by Shadab Khan in the 9th over. MI New York was struggling at 64/3 in 8.4 overs.
Nicholas Pooran struck two maximums off Chaitanya Bishnoi's bowling in the 11th over, but Liam Plunkett ended his innings with an off-cutter in the very next over. Pooran scored 40 in 28 balls, consisting of two fours and three sixes. Captain Kieron Pollard kept MI New York in the hunt when he smashed two sixes and a four off Le Roux's bowling in the 15th over, however, Plunkett sealed the deal for the Unicorns when he dismissed Pollard for 48 runs off 27 balls in the 18th over. At that point, MI New York was 154/5 in 17.3 overs.
Tim David stayed unbeaten at 53* in 28 balls, with four boundaries and four sixes, but MI New York still fell short of a victory.
Plunkett (2/30) and Roux (2/39) were the pick of the bowlers for Unicorns.
Earlier in the day, the San Francisco Unicorns won the toss and chose to bat first. Kagiso Rabada and Trent Boult rocked the Unicorns' top order early in the innings as their opponents found themselves in massive trouble at 22/3 in 3.1 overs. Aaron Finch tried to get his team's innings going, but even he returned to the pavilion after being dismissed by Sarabjit Ladda in the seventh over for just nine runs. Unicorns was at 50/4 in seven overs.
However, Corey Anderson and Shadab Khan took centre stage thereafter as they strung a 129-run partnership for the Unicorns. Shadab smashed Ehsan Adil for a six and a four in the 10th over. The duo of Anderson and Shadab sent the ball over the fence twice off Hammad Azam's bowling in the 14th over, taking the Unicorns' score to 122/4. Shadab continued to strike the ball cleanly as he hit three sixes and a four off Sarabjit Ladda's bowling in the 15th over.
Anderson backed up Shadab's effort with three sixes in the next over and took his team's total to 173/4 in the 16th over. Shadab fell to Boult for 61 runs off 30 balls (four boundaries and five sixes) in the next over, but Anderson remained unbeaten on 91 in 52 balls (four boundaries and seven sixes) as the Unicorns posted a mammoth total of 215/5 in their 20 overs.
Rabada (2/32) and Boult (2/38) were the pick of the bowlers for MI New York.
Anderson won the 'Player of the Match' for his 91 run knock.
Brief Scores San Francisco Unicorns 215/5 (Corey Anderson 91*, Shadab Khan 61, Kagiso Rabada 2/32) beat MI New York 193/5 (Tim David 53*, Kieron Pollard 48, Liam Plunkett 2/30) by 22 runs.
✔️ MLC: Corey Anderson's heroics help Unicorns clinch 22-run win over MI New York
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