Shimron Hetmyer delivered another match-winning performance for Seattle Orcas, scoring an unbeaten 78 off 37 balls to secure a four-wicket victory against San Francisco Unicorns in the Major League Cricket. The West Indian batter’s innings, featuring four fours and seven sixes, guided his team to chase down the target of 169 runs in the final over at Lauderhill, marking the Orcas’ third consecutive win.The San Francisco Unicorns, batting first on a slow surface, posted 168/5 in their 20 overs. Despite losing Matthew Short early, they managed a solid powerplay score of 51/2. Sanjay Krishnamurthi emerged as the top scorer with 41 runs, while Jake Fraser-McGurk contributed 35 runs to the innings.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!The Unicorns’ innings gained momentum in the middle overs through Krishnamurthi’s six-hitting ability, taking the team to 100/3 in 12 overs. The final three overs proved crucial as Tim Seifert, Hassan Khan, and Romario Shepherd collected 40 runs to set a competitive target.
Seattle Orcas’ chase began with early setbacks as Steven Taylor and Kyle Mayers fell to Xavier Bartlett’s bowling. The team struggled to 31/2 in the powerplay overs, creating pressure on the batting lineup.The situation became more challenging when Shayan Jahangir and Sikandar Raza departed in the 10th over, leaving Hetmyer to orchestrate another rescue mission. Hetmyer’s response was immediate, hitting three sixes in his first seven deliveries.The chase equation came down to 55 runs needed off 30 balls, with Hetmyer finding support from Aaron Jones. The partnership methodically approached the target, with Hetmyer consistently finding boundaries at crucial moments.The 16th over proved significant as Hetmyer started with a six off Matthew Short, followed by smart rotation of strike. The following over saw another six off Liam Plunkett, though Jones fell trying to clear the deep square leg boundary.The match reached its climax in the final over with eight runs required. Hetmyer settled the outcome by launching a six over long-on and securing the winning runs with a cut shot through the off-side.The victory strengthened Seattle Orcas’ playoff position while creating difficulties for bottom-placed teams MI New York and LA Knight Riders, who now trail the fourth spot by four points.Brief Scores: San Francisco Unicorns 168/5 in 20 overs (Sanjay Krishnamurthi 41, Jake Fraser-McGurk 35; Ayan Desai 2-32) lost to Seattle Orcas 169/6 in 19.3 overs (Shimron Hetmyer 78*, Shayan Jahangir 36; Xavier Bartlett 2-24) by 4 wickets
