The San Francisco Unicorns sealed the top spot in Major League Cricket and secured their place in the semifinals with a thrilling chase of 191 against the Seattle Orcas, thanks to a late strike by Hassan Khan. With 47 runs needed from the last four overs, the contest was in the balance before Hassan turned it decisively for the Unicorns. The left-hander struck an unbeaten hammering, smashing consecutive sixes off Tanveer Sangha before falling. Marcus Stoinis followed by six, four, four and six to complete the chase with emphasis. The win not only clinched San Francisco’s playoff berth but also ended Seattle’s hopes of making the playoffs. Earlier, the Unicorns looked good as they were put at 99 for 1 after 10 overs. Finn Allen set the tone with another aggressive innings, racing to a half-century with his leg-spinner, while Matt Short provided solid support. However, the dynamic changed after Allen’s dismissal. Jasdeep Sangha tested Short in the attack after changing his line for two lines, Stoinis making a sharp catch at cover to remove the opener. It capped a busy evening in the field for the Australian, who had earlier made a spectacular catch in the middle of the night to dismiss Lhuan-dre Pretorius. Despite having wickets in hand, San Francisco slowed down significantly between the overs, managing just 32 runs between the end of the 11th and 16th overs. Short, who went from 27 off 20 balls to 35 off 31 during that time, struggled to add to the score before resuming the chase with back-to-back boundaries. His dismissal just minutes into the contest returned to Seattle before Hassan unleashed a decisive threat. The Seattle pitchers also noticed the absence of Ottneil Baartman, the league’s leading scorer, who withdrew from the tournament due to other commitments. Dasun Shanaka was another notable absentee. Earlier, Seattle recovered from a 34-for-3 deficit. Matthew Breetzke he led the batting with a brilliant knock, adding 65 runs in just 32 balls along with Shimron Hetmyer. Breetzke hit four sixes and four fours, with a beautiful inside-out six from Aaron Hardie among the highlights of his innings. Hetmyer’s stay ended when Xavier Bartlett completed the perfect long catch, blasting a dangerous shot into the air. Both Bartlett and Hetmyer looked stunned by the catch, and the batsman remained on the field in disbelief. Breetzke shared another important bond with Stoinis. The South African reached his 50 from just 24 balls, but Stoinis took time to get going, scoring just 11 in his first 13 overs. Peter Siddle finally broke the deadlock by dismissing Breetzke, while Ali Sheikh was dismissed the next ball. Stoinis made a late run to finish with 49 from 35 balls, aided by Cameron Gannon, who hit Hardie in succession, helping Seattle post 190. Even so, Breetzke later admitted that his side had failed. At half-time, he believed Seattle was “30 runs short”, a prediction that eventually came true as the Unicorns completed their chase to finish top of the table. San Francisco is now joined in the playoffs by the Los Angeles Knight Riders, MI New York and Washington Freedom.
