Cricket Kitchen

Unbeaten Unicorns Storm into Playoffs

June 26, 2025

Kathmandu –  San Francisco Unicorns secured their place in the MLC 2025 playoffs with a 32-run win over the Seattle Orcas on Wednesday night in Dallas.

The Unicorns have now won all six of their matches and strengthened their hold on the top spot of the points table. In contrast, the Seattle Orcas suffered their fifth consecutive defeat and remain at the bottom of the standings.

After winning the toss and opting to bat first, the Unicorns lost Finn Allen in the second over. However, Jake Fraser-McGurk and captain Matthew Short steadied the innings with a 68-run partnership for the second wicket.

Fraser-McGurk scored 34 off 21 balls before being dismissed by left-arm spinner Harmeet Singh, which triggered a collapse as the Unicorns slipped from 86/1 to 103/6.

Romario Shepherd then rescued the innings with a powerful knock of 56 off 31 balls, which included four sixes and four fours, taking the team to a competitive total of 176/8. Gerald Coetzee also contributed with the ball, picking up 3 for 34. Matthew Short made a quick 52 off 29 balls, hitting seven fours and two sixes.

In response, the Orcas got off to a flying start, scoring 29 runs in the first two overs. Shayan Jahangir impressed with his strokeplay, making 40 off just 22 balls. However, Shepherd provided the breakthrough by dismissing him in the seventh over.

In the next over, Short struck twice in quick succession, removing David Warner and Kyle Mayers. After that, the Orcas couldn’t recover. Though Shimron Hetmyer and Sujit Nayak tried to rebuild, the wickets kept falling regularly.

Haris Rauf, who had earlier dismissed Heinrich Klaasen, wrapped up the innings by removing Coetzee, Hetmyer, and Cameron Gannon, finishing with excellent figures of 4 for 32.