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DALLAS: Explosive half-centuries from Matthew Short and Jake Fraser-McGurk lit up Grand Prairie Stadium as San Francisco Unicorns continued their unbeaten run in Major League Cricket (MLC) 2025, brushing aside MI New York with a 47-run win on Monday.
Batting first after being put in, the Unicorns unleashed mayhem, piling up a mammoth 246-4 — the second-highest total in MLC history.
It’s worth noting that they already hold the record for the highest, having smashed 269-5 in the opening match of the tournament against Washington Freedom.
Matthew Short set the tone with a brisk 86-run opening stand alongside Tim Seifert (26), before teaming up with Jake Fraser-McGurk for a match-defining partnership.
The duo added 74 runs in just 33 deliveries, completely taking the game away from MI New York.
Short led from the front with a blazing 91 off 43 balls, hammering nine fours and five sixes. Fraser-McGurk, on the other hand, was even more brutal, smashing 64 off 26 balls, including seven sixes and a four.
Kieron Pollard managed to dismiss both set batters in quick succession, but the damage was already done.
Naveen-ul-Haq then removed Romario Shepherd (2), but Sanjay Krishnamurthi (27*) and Hassan Khan (31*) finished the innings strongly with an unbeaten 49-run partnership in just 20 balls.
Chasing a daunting 247, MI New York got off to a flying start themselves. Quinton de Kock and Monank Patel put on 119 in under 10 overs, threatening to make a real contest of it.
Patel, in particular, was impressive with a 33-ball 60, laced with ten fours and a six. But Liam Plunkett’s breakthrough in the 10th over turned the tide.
De Kock then combined with skipper Nicholas Pooran to add 40 runs for the second wicket, but the mounting required rate and lack of support from the other end began to build pressure on the South African opener.
Pooran, after a scratchy 15 off 17, was sent back by Haris Rauf, and De Kock followed soon after, falling to Romario Shepherd for a well-made 70 off 46 balls, featuring eight boundaries and two sixes.
With both set batters gone, MI New York lost momentum. No other batter managed to make an impact, with Kieron Pollard being the only one to cross double figures.
Pollard remained unbeaten on 34 off just 16 balls, but it wasn’t enough as MI New York could only manage 199-6 in their 20 overs.
With this dominant win, San Francisco Unicorns maintained their perfect record, making it five wins in five and firmly securing the top spot on the MLC 2025 table.
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