MLC: SF Unicorns beat Texas Super Kings to enter the final

NEW DELHI: San Francisco Unicorns‘ bowlers held their nerves to clinch a 10-run victory over the Texas Super Kings in a nail-biting Challenger match at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas, booking their place in the final of the 2024 Major League Cricket. The Unicorns will now face Washington Freedom in the summit clash on Monday.
Riding on a brilliant century from Finn Allen, the Unicorns set a formidable total of 200 for 6 after being sent in to bat.Allen’s explosive 101 off 53 balls, featuring five sixes and nine fours, was the highlight of the Unicorns’ innings. Contributions from Josh Inglis (37 off 25) and Hassan Khan (27 not out off 15) further bolstered the total.
As it happened: San Francisco Unicorns vs Texas Super Kings
The Super Kings made a strong start in their chase, with skipper Faf du Plessis scoring a quickfire 45 off 22 balls in the powerplay, complemented by Devon Conway’s unbeaten 62 off 38 balls. Despite a 55-run opening stand and Conway’s unbroken 100-run partnership with Joshua Tromp (56 not out off 36), the Super Kings fell short, finishing at 190 for 4 in their 20 overs.
Unicorns skipper Corey Anderson praised his team’s all-around performance and highlighted the key contributions that helped secure the win.
“Different guys have chipped in at times, we’ve had players contributing when most needed, winning us moments in the games. Obviously, someone scoring a hundred is great, but we’ve been great as a team,” Anderson remarked.
He also commended bowlers Haris Rauf and Pat Cummins for their execution and praised Drysdale for his impactful performance.
“Both of them are world-class bowlers, they know what they want to do and I completely trust them to do it. He was incredible tonight, won us the moments in the middle (on Drysdale), was a bit underdone coming into the tournament, but has got better with games,” Anderson added.
Reflecting on the missed opportunities, Faf du Plessis acknowledged that his team was not at their best. “I think we weren’t at our best at the start. First 45 minutes, Finn Allen played well, but we were soft, both teams fielding was bad. You can’t give a player like him a chance,” he said. Du Plessis also praised Tromp’s performance, expressing hope that it would boost his confidence for future games.
Finn Allen was named Player of the Match for his outstanding century, which proved to be the difference in the high-stakes game. Speaking after the match, Allen expressed his satisfaction with the performance and anticipation for the final.
“It was a close one, we knew we’re up against the Texas batting line-up, nice to be in the final on Sunday. It was a quality knock from Devon (Conway), he keeps racking up runs in tournament after tournament and it wasn’t a surprise to see him score today,” Allen said.
The Unicorns, having lost to Washington Freedom by seven wickets in the Qualifier, will now have a chance to seek revenge and claim the championship title.