A stunning century by Man of Match Nicholas Pooran saw the MI NY clinch the title in the inaugural season of Major League Cricket as they defeated the Seattle Orcas quite comprehensively by 6 wickets. It seemed as if Nicholas Pooran was toying with the bowling unit.
Earlier batting first the Seattle Orcas put up a healthy total of 183 on the board thanks to Quinton de Kock’s impressive 87 off just 52 deliveries. Shubham Ranjane and Dwayne Pretorius provided some great finishing to the innings. For MI NY Trent Boult took 3 wickets and Rashid Khan was very economical as he gave just 9 runs in his spell and also took 3 wickets.
Chasing a good total of 184 the MI NY lost the wicket of Steven Taylor early. Nicholas Pooran came to the crease and his power play onslaught sent the Orcas into a shock. He completed his fifty in just 16 balls and it became the fastest fifty of the tournament.
Nicholas Pooran completed his century in just 40 balls and he remained unbeaten till the end as he scored 137 off just 55 deliveries with help of 10 boundaries and 13 sixes. He scored the winning boundary of Cameron Gannon as the MI NY chased the target in just 16 overs with 7 wickets to spare
SLOW START BY THE ORCAS IN THE POWERPLAY:
Having won the toss, MI NY chose to bowl first, putting the pressure on the Orcas to set a competitive total. However, the Orcas’ openers, Nauman Anwar and in-form Quinton de Kock, started cautiously and built a steady 25-run partnership for the first wicket.
Nauman, trying to accelerate, got stumped off a Rashid Khan delivery, and the Orcas finished the powerplay at 31/1.
QUINTON DE KOCK TEARS MI NY APART IN THE MIDDLE OVERS
The middle overs saw the onus of anchoring the innings falling on Quinton de Kock and Shehan Jayasuriya. Jayasuriya displayed some fireworks, taking 16 runs off MI NY’s David Weise in a single over. However, he lost his wicket while trying to up the scoring rate. Heinrich Klassen followed suit, departing for a mere 4 runs courtesy of Rashid Khan’s excellent bowling.
De Kock, though, was just getting started. He reached his half-century with a boundary off Weise and then started connecting some powerful shots, taking calculated risks to keep the scoreboard ticking.
In the 15th over, he took Jessy Singh, MI NY’s debutant, to the cleaners, plundering 22 runs off that over. Shubham Ranjane also provided crucial support, adding 19 runs off David Weise’s experienced bowling in the 16th over, shifting the momentum towards the Orcas.
ENTERTAINING DEATH OVERS TO FINISH THE ORCAS’ INNINGS:
The death overs were entertaining and tense. With 141 runs on the board at the start of the 17th over, the Orcas looked set to easily surpass the 190-run mark. However, Trent Boult had other plans as he dismissed the dangerous de Kock for an impressive 87 off 52 balls, comprising 9 boundaries and 4 sixes. Shubham and Imad managed to take 13 runs off that Boult over, keeping the momentum going.
Rashid Khan continued to be a thorn in the Orcas’ side, claiming Imad Wasim’s wicket and finishing a magnificent spell of 3 wickets while conceding only 9 runs in his four overs. In Boult’s last over, he further damaged the Orcas’ innings, taking the wickets of Shubham and Andrew Tye.
However, Dwayne Pretorius had other ideas, launching a brutal assault on David Weise in the last over, scoring 16 runs off the first four balls. This onslaught helped the Orcas post a competitive total of 183 runs, showing resilience in the face of MI NY’s bowling attack.
THE NICHOLAS POORAN SHOW:
MI NY’s start to the chase wasn’t promising as they lost the early wicket of Steven Taylor in just the third ball of the innings. However, their captain, Nicholas Pooran, stepped up to the challenge and showcased an outstanding display of aggressive batting.
Nicholas Pooran’s intent to dominate was evident right from the start, as he hammered two sixes in his first three deliveries, setting the tone for his extraordinary innings. He launched an onslaught on Dwayne Pretorius, scoring an impressive 28 runs in the first over. This attacking approach didn’t waver even when the inform Shayan Jahangir fell to Wayne Parnell.
The powerplay proved to be a turning point for MI NY, as they scored a remarkable 80 runs, with Nicholas Pooran contributing a staggering 69 runs. The dynamic batsman continued to find gaps, taking singles and doubles to keep the scoreboard ticking. Boundaries flowed consistently, and MI NY crossed the 100-run mark in just the eighth over, thanks to Pooran’s brilliance.
Nicholas Pooran’s century arrived in the 12th over, taking a mere 40 balls to reach the landmark. With just a run-a-ball required at that point, Pooran unleashed a flurry of boundaries, including three back-to-back sixes against Orcas’ Harmeet Singh.
As the MI NY crowd erupted with joy, Nicholas Pooran fittingly sealed the victory by squeezing a yorker from Cameron Gannon to the boundary. Remaining unbeaten, Nicholas Pooran finished with a sensational 137 runs off just 55 deliveries, featuring ten boundaries and an astonishing 13 sixes.
Nicholas Pooran was named Man of the Match for his stunning century while Seattle Orcas’ Cameron Gannon was named the Domestic Player of the Tournament for MLC 2023
SOME TRIVIA OF THE TOURNAMENT:
Most Runs: Nicholas Pooran (MI NY) – 388 runs
Most Wickets: Trent Boult (MI NY) – 22 wickets
Highest Individual Score – Nicholas Pooran (MI NY) 137*(55) v Seattle Orcas
Best Bowling Figures- Saurabh Netravalkar 9/6 (WAF) v San Francisco Unicorns
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