Team Performances:
The San Francisco Unicorns were finally handed their first loss, courtesy the brilliant bowling performance from the Washington Freedom led by Mitchell Owen.
The Unicorns would hope it was just an aberration and look to fight back against the Orcas with multiple players in good form.
Matthew Short, their skipper, has been instrumental, with 271 runs in four games, he has crossed fifty in all four of them and is the batter of the tournament so far.
Meanwhile the Orcas have fought back well amid changes in the backroom staff, having notched back to back wins now.
Shimron Hetmyer has led this, with two epic knocks, once against MI New York and the other against the Los Angeles Knight Riders.
Form Guide:
- San Francisco Unicorns: WWWWL
- Seattle Orcas: LLLWW
Players to watch out for:
- Matthew Short – the skipper of the Unicorns has been in brilliant form this season, with 271 runs in four games, having crossed 50 in all of them while maintaining a season strike rate of 192.
- Shayan Jahangir – Jahangir has been excellent, amongst the American batters leading the charge for the Orcas, with 166 runs in five games averaging 33.2 and striking at 151!
- Waqar Salamkheil – with the conditions at Central Broward Park so conducive to spinners, the fit against Salamkheil will play a crucial role for the Orcas.
- Haris Rauf – the leading wicket taker this season of the MLC, Rauf has 17 wickets in seven wickets at 14.76, taking a wicket once every 9.5 balls.
Playing XIs:
San Francisco Unicorns (probable): Matthew Short ©, Finn Allen, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Hassan Khan, Romario Shepherd, Xavier Bartlett, Jahmar Hamilton (WK), Harid Rauf, Brody Couch, Liam Plunkett.
Seattle Orcas (probable): Shayan Jahangir (WK), Josh Brown, Aaron Jones, Heinrich Klaasen, Shimron Hetmyer, Sikandar Raza ©, Kyle Mayers, Harmeet Singh, Jasdeep Singh, Waqar Salamkheil, Ayan Desai.
Pitch Conditions (Central Broward Park, Lauderhill):
Average 1st Innings Score:
- 2022 – 189.50
- 2023 – 171.50
- 2024 – 106.00
Bowling Averages and Economy Rates:
- Fast Bowlers – Average – 24.12; Economy Rate – 8.55
- Spin Bowlers – Average – 22.16; Economy Rate – 7.72.
Wickets Percentage based on Innings:
- Team Win Percentage when Batting First – 40%
- Team Win Percentage when Batting Second – 60%
Wickets Per Innings:
- First Innings – 7.60 wickets
- Second Innings – 6.00 wickets
Wickets per Phase:
- Powerplay (Overs 1–6): 2.10 wickets
- Middle Overs (Overs 7–15): 2.90 wickets
- Death Overs (Overs 16–20): 1.80 wickets
There has not been a lot of cricket played at Central Broward Park since 2022, with the only fixtures in Florida being the ones in Internationals. But Florida has proven to be historically batting friendly, and 2024 should be an aberration.
Both types of bowlers have been quite successful at the venue, but it is the spinners in particular who have had a great time, averaging around 22 with an economy of less than 8.
Match Predictions:
- Top Batters: Matthew Short, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Shayan Jahangir and Shimron Hetmyer.
- Top Bowlers: Xavier Bartlett, Waqar Salamkheil and Haris Rauf.
- Match Winner: San Francisco Unicorns.
