Major League Cricket: Seattle Orcas defeat MI New York by 2 wickets

North Carolina [US], July 26 (ANI): The Seattle Orcas secured a victory in Major League Cricket after defeating MI New York by two wickets at Church Street Park, Morrisville.

Heinrich Klaasen scored the first-ever century of the MLC as he played a magnificent unbeaten knock of 110 runs off 44 balls to guide the Orcas to victory in a high-scoring match.
As per the press release, the Seattle Orcas won the toss and elected to bowl first. MI New York had a shaky start to their innings, as opener Monank Patel (2) lost his wicket cheaply by the third over. Shayan Jahangir (19) soon followed him back to the pavilion as he failed to build on his start.

New York was struggling to put runs on the board as Hammad Azam (2) lost his wicket in the seventh over soon after MI had crossed the 50-run mark. Nicholas Pooran and Captain of MI New York, Kieron Pollard constructed a crucial partnership that steadied the ship for their team.

New York came roaring back into the game thanks to Pooran (68), who lost his wicket in the thirteenth over after scoring a blistering half-century and guiding his team past 100 runs. Pollard (34) lost his wicket in the following over as the scores for MI New York read 132 runs for the loss of 5 wickets.

A steady partnership between Tim David and David Wiese saw New York go past 150 runs. However, Tim David (18) failed to build on his solid start as he lost his wicket at the start of the eighteenth over. Rashid Khan (2) lost his wicket cheaply in the subsequent over soon after which Wiese (19) followed suit.

Nosthush Kenjige (3) and Trent Boult (20) scored 22 runs in the final over of their team’s innings that saw MI New York end their 20 overs with a total of 194 runs for the loss of eight wickets.

Imad Wasim and Harmeet Singh picked up two wickets each for the Seattle Orcas, while Cameron Gannon and Andrew Tye picked up a wicket each.

The Seattle Orcas had a decent start to the second innings, but Quinton de Kock (9) failed to build a fruitful partnership with Nauman Anwar as he lost his wicket at the start of the fourth over. Shehan Jayasuriya (0) followed de Kock back to the pavilion at the start of the sixth over as he failed to trouble the scorers.

Nauman Anwar and in-form Heinrich Klaasen carefully constructed a partnership that helped the Orcas cross the 50-run mark in the eighth over. Anwar (51) scored a crucial half-century before he lost his wicket in the eleventh over right as the Orcas were on the cusp of crossing the 100-run mark.

Klaasen was anchoring the Orcas innings, while wickets were falling around him. Shubham Ranjane (7) lost his wicket cheaply in the thirteenth over and was soon followed by Dasun Shanaka (10). While Klaasen scored a half-century, Dwaine Pretorious (2) lost his wicket at the start of the eighteenth over. Imad Wasim (0) and Harmeet Singh (0) lost their wickets by the end of the eighteenth over without troubling the scorers.

Going into the final two overs of the second inning, the Orcas still needed 19 runs to win as the game was headed for a nail-biting finish. Spearheading the attack for the Orcas, Klaasen scored the first-ever century in Major League Cricket. As the game entered its final over, Seattle needed six runs to win and the Orcas pulled off a triumph thanks to a game-winning six by Klaasen off the second ball of the nineteenth over.

Klaasen remained unbeaten with 110 runs off 44 balls as he single-handedly led the Orcas to victory. Trent Boult bowled superbly and picked up four wickets for MI New York, while Rashid Khan picked up two wickets. David Wiese and Nosthush Kenjige chipped in with one wicket each.

Brief Scores: Seattle Orcas 195/8 (Heinrich Klaasen 110*, Nauman Anwar 51, Trent Boult 4/31) beat MI New York 194/8 (Nicholas Pooran 68, Kieron Pollard 34, Imad Wasim 2/23) by 2 wickets.