Grand Prairie [Texas], June 28 : When Shimron Hetmyer steered Kieron Pollard over square leg for a maximum off the very last delivery in the 20th over, the explosive left-hander sealed not only one of the finest knocks in Major League Cricket (MLC) history but also the league's highest successful chase--powering the Seattle Orcas to their first win of the season.
On Friday, the 475-run thriller against MI New York featured standout performances from Nicholas Pooran and Tajinder Singh in a first-innings batting blitz, as per an MLC press release.
Set an improbable target of 237, Hetmyer's fireworks came after brisk, timely cameos laid the foundation--Kyle Mayers struck 37 off 20 (four boundaries and two sixes), Heinrich Klaasen added 26 off 13 (two fours and two sixes), and new skipper Sikandar Raza blasted a rapid 30 off just 9 deliveries (six fours and a six). Mayers and Raza counter-attacked the New York line-up in the first six overs as the Orcas smashed 86 off the powerplay--the highest this season--in pursuit of the tournament's best run chase ever.
Although a stable run-flow kept the Orcas on top of the required rate, wickets continued to tumble at frequent intervals. When Klaasen departed in the 11th, the Seattle Orcas had lost half of their side while still needing 100 off 58 deliveries.
However, with the scoreboard pressure increasing and tailenders exposed, Shimron Hetmyer's confidence and bat started to peak just in time for the Seattle Orcas, as the Caribbean dynamite smashed the New York bowlers to all parts in a brutal display of power-hitting that included nine clean-hit maximums and five fours.
Hetmyer's heroics eclipsed an earlier century par excellence from his West Indian teammate Nicholas Pooran, whose return to form after a brief rough patch concluded with a stellar 108 off just 60 deliveries, including seven fours and eight sixes--the most by an MI New York batter.
After MI New York lost their opening pair to Trent Boult by the end of the power play, Pooran and a swashbuckling Tajinder Singh came together to form the best partnership in MLC history, amassing 158 runs off just 68 deliveries. It was an hour full of panache, innovation, class, and fearless shot-making at full flair. While it was Pooran who started the merciless demolition, it was Tajinder Singh's special show that caught the eyeballs--almost outshining Pooran later--as the American muscle-hitter bludgeoned 8 sixes, complementing them with 8 boundaries to smash 95 off just 35 balls at his home ground before he was caught at the boundary, falling 5 short of what would have been a record century.
Pooran and Tajinder's 158-run alliance now stands as the highest for any wicket by MI New York, breaking Monank Patel and Michael Bracewell's record set earlier in the tournament at the Oakland Coliseum.
After Tajinder left the crease, the Seattle Orcas curtailed a cruising onslaught by giving away only 19 runs in the last three overs.
Having finally opened their account this season, the Seattle Orcas will face the LA Knight Riders with a rejuvenated spirit tomorrow evening. On the other hand, while the result didn't go their way in tonight's run-fest, MI New York will take many positives--including Nicholas Pooran's return to form--as they take on Texas Super Kings on Sunday evening at Grand Prairie.
Match Summary: Seattle Orcas beat MI New York by 3 wickets (with 0 balls remaining)
MINY: 237/4 in 20 overs (Nicholas Pooran 108, Tajinder Singh 95, Monank Patel 20, Kyle Mayers 34/2, Gerald Coetzee 46/2)
SO: 238/7 in 20 overs (Shimron Hetmyer 97*, Kyle Mayers 37, Sikandar Raza 30, Heinrich Klaasen 26, Trent Boult 31/3, Rushil Ugarkar 29/1).