League: Cricket
Match 16 of the Major League Cricket (MLC) 2024, played between MI New York (MINY) and San Francisco Unicorns (SFU), was a thrilling encounter that saw San Francisco ultimately emerged victorious by three runs over the New York.
One of the key moments in the match was a six scored by Dewald Brevis off Matthew Short. This shot was significant as it came during a crucial phase of the match when New York needed to accelerate their scoring during the powerplay overs. Brevis, known for his aggressive batting, targeted the third over of the inning where, on the second ball, the right-handed batter picking up the length quickly rocks on the back foot and timed the shot perfectly against Short. The ball, slightly short in length, came onto Brevis’ bat, and he smashed the ball with his might towards long-on, soaring over the boundary for six runs.
Earlier, the Unicorns batted first, scoring 148 runs for seven wickets in their 20 overs. After a shaky start at 33/5, Corey Anderson led the recovery with a stellar performance, scoring 59 runs off 37 balls. He formed a crucial partnership of 87 runs with Hassan Khan, who contributed 44 runs off 35 balls. The New York bowlers, particularly Nosthush Kenjige and Trent Boult, took two wickets each, while Short also made an impact with three wickets for 27 runs.
Chasing a target of 149, New York scored 145 runs for seven wickets. Brevis stood out for MI, scoring 56 runs off 36 balls. Despite a solid partnership with Nicholas Pooran (26 runs off 30 balls), MI New York struggled to maintain momentum, losing wickets at critical moments. Haris Rauf‘s bowling proved decisive, taking the final wicket to secure the win for the Unicorns. This victory marks a significant achievement for the San Francisco Unicorns, who secured their place in the playoffs and moved to second place in the league standings. Meanwhile, New York faced their fourth consecutive loss of the season.