Trent Boult is widely known for his death-bowling mastery in T20 cricket. However, it was his critical cameo with the bat at Grand Prairie Stadium that ultimately got MI New York over the line by 2 wickets in a nervy run chase against the San Francisco Unicorns on Thursday in the ongoing Major League Cricket (MLC).
Having been set a below-par target of 132 in a rain-affected eliminator, MI New York looked stable early in the chase, reaching 37 without loss at the end of the powerplay.
However, Matthew Short got the Unicorns on the board in the wickets column, sending back a fluent Quinton de Kock and skipper Nicholas Pooran in his second over to reignite hopes in his camp, according to the MLC website.
Losing partners in quick succession, Monank Patel slowed down to stabilize the chase, with Michael Bracewell at the other end. But his resistance was short-lived, as Short returned to dismiss him for a cautious 33 off the first delivery of his third over.
With 40 needed at nearly a run-a-ball, Xavier Bartlett struck a timely blow, sending MI New York's premier striker Kieron Pollard back to the dressing room as the Unicorns began to believe they could turn the tide.
That belief was strengthened when Hassan Khan delivered a remarkable over, dismissing Michael Bracewell and Heath Richards off successive deliveries, as MI New York slid further into trouble at 98/6, needing 34 off the last five overs.
Hassan didn’t stop there. The left-arm spinner delivered another double-strike in his next over, getting rid of New York's last recognized pair — Tajinder Singh and Tristan Luus — leaving them in tatters at 108/8, with 24 still required and the tail exposed.
While the San Francisco Unicorns needed just two more wickets to complete a remarkable comeback, Trent Boult built a vital 9th-wicket partnership with Nosthush Kenjige in a final show of resistance.
Hassan Khan had positioned the Unicorns well for a place in the second qualifier, but it was Boult's decisive back-to-back sixes over long-on in his final over that ultimately denied them.
Earlier in the evening, before guiding his team with the bat, Boult played a crucial role with the ball. A devastating opening spell by the Boult-Kenjige pair derailed the Unicorns' top order during the powerplay. Kenjige started the demolition by dismissing the dangerous Matthew Short in his first over.
Boult quickly joined the party, having Tim Seifert caught behind before Sanjay Krishnamurthi became Kenjige's second scalp. The collapse worsened when Boult removed key middle-order hitters Jake Fraser-McGurk and Hassan Khan off successive deliveries, leaving the Unicorns reeling at 21/5 at the end of 5 overs.
Cooper Connolly (23 off 19), Hammad Azam (11 off 18), and Brody Couch (19 off 18) helped the scoreboard along briefly before Rushil Ugarkar dismissed both Azam and Couch during a tidy spell.
Xavier Bartlett, coming in at number 7, played the only notable knock for his team, smashing 4 sixes in a 24-ball 44 before the Unicorns were all out for 131 in 19.3 overs.
Trent Boult’s powerplay strikes and calm finish with the bat earned him a well-deserved Player of the Match award. The experienced Kiwi held his nerve when it mattered most, steering MI New York to a thrilling victory and setting up a Qualifier 2 clash against the Texas Super Kings on Friday evening.
Brief Scores
MI New York beat San Francisco Unicorns by 2 wickets (with 3 balls remaining)
SFU: 131/10 in 19.3 overs (Xavier Bartlett 44, Cooper Connolly 23, Brody Couch 19; Rushil Ugarkar 3/19, Trent Boult 2/19, Nosthush Kenjige 2/43)
MINY: 132/8 in 19.3 overs (Quinton de Kock 33, Monank Patel 33, Trent Boult 22*; Hassan Khan 4/30, Matthew Short 3/22)
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