Short and Bartlett do it for Unicorns as Super Kings go down by one run
Super Kings dropped to No. 3 after failing to get 13 off the last over, with Unicorns going clear at the top after their seventh win
Super Kings dropped to No. 3 after failing to get 13 off the last over, with Unicorns going clear at the top after their seventh win
Scorer: K Vairavan | Commentator: Rashad Mahbub
That's a wrap on the first match of today's doubleheader! What an exciting game it was. With their win today, the San Francisco Unicorns have stretched their lead at the top of the table. Thanks for tuning in! Don't go anywhere, as we'll be back shortly for the second match of the Doubleheader, where Washington Freedom won the toss and decided to field first. Until then, this is Rashad Mahbub, signing off on behalf of Chandan Duorah, K Vairavan, and the entire ESPNcricinfo crew. Ciao!
Most Valuable Player, Matt Short: "It's a bit of a grind out there, actually. The wicket was really tacky. The groundsman did a great job of getting the wicket up. It was being covered most of the morning, and with all that rain, credit to them for getting the wicket up. But, yeah, it was really tough work, though, early on; tacky, as you saw, playing Akeal was really hard, as there was a bit of spin there. A bit of a grind, a couple of partnerships there through the middle, which really helped and got to a decent total in the end. [What was the decent total?] After that start and the way the wicket was reacting. I think anything over 130 would have been nice. We knew, sort of, once the rain had gone and the sun had come out a bit, that the wicket would sort of harden up a little bit, which I think it did. But again, credit to our bowlers. They did a great job. They took a few learnings from the last game and took it out there tonight. So, credit to them. They got the job done as well. We know how dangerous he [Ferreira] can be. We've seen that over the last couple of games. But look, we probably didn't bowl well to the wicket and their conditions last game. I think we went back, back, and planned a lot better. Used the wicket to our advantage. It seems to work a lot more tonight. Very happy [for the team]. I mean, we've come off two losses in a row, which were probably winnable games, to be fair and honest. It was nice to get that win tonight and get that momentum back, hopefully leading into the finals."
Faf du Plessis: "I thought the guys bowled really well. It was quite tough to bat in that first six for them, so they had a nice partnership there in the middle overs. But yeah, I would have taken that score. I think it's the nature of this wicket, isn't it? It's just minimising the number of wickets you lose in the first six to ten overs. And then it gets a little bit easier. We did that. We did that well, and there was a nice partnership, and the guys got it back towards the end, but probably a little bit as a batting unit. I feel like we should have gotten that over the line, getting in the position that we were there. So credit to them and the way that they bowled. [Next Match] In terms of that match, it was a big one. But we still got another crack tomorrow against the Orcas. Let's see how it goes, and then tomorrow come back."
7:25 pm Phew! What a match, and what a fantastic day of cricket we've had! These incredibly close games can go either way, often decided by the tiniest of margins. The Texas Super Kings' chase started with a bit of luck when Faf du Plessis got a lifeline in the second over, as Matt Short dropped his catch in the slips. But that missed chance didn't cost the Unicorns much, as Faf was out just a few balls later. Smit Patel also didn't last long, and just like that, the Super Kings had lost their first three wickets within the first nine overs. Saiteja Mukkamalla and Shubham Ranjane then began to rebuild the innings in the middle, with Mukkamalla eventually departing after scoring 34 runs. After that, it was all about the heroes from their last match: Shubham Ranjane and Donovan Ferreira. Ferreira, true to form, started hitting boundaries and massive sixes all over the place. When these two powerful batters were at the crease, it appeared that the Super Kings would win with ease. But the game was flipped upside down by Romario Shepherd's penultimate over! In that over, he got rid of Ferreira and Ranjane, which put tremendous pressure on the Super Kings' lower order. Ultimately, they simply couldn't handle it and lost their composure. Considering how well the spinners were doing on this surface today, Matt Short might have benefited from bowling a few overs in the middle. But it's all over now, and as they say, all's well that ends well! It's also worth noting that Haris Rauf got injured and had to leave the field clutching his hamstring; the part-time spinners really stepped up in his absence. Shepherd and Couch both picked up two wickets each.
San Francisco Unicorns won by 1 run
CP Savage run out 2 (2b 0x4 0x6) SR: 100
3 runs from 1 ball.
7 from 2. TSK need a boundary here.
8 runs from 3 balls, Savage on strike. Quick discussion between Short and Bartlett.
13 runs needed from the last over, here's Bartlett
Super Kings dropped to No. 3 after failing to get 13 off the last over, with Unicorns going clear at the top after their seventh win