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Low-scoring matches have been a common theme in Lauderhill, and the game between San Francisco Unicorns and Texas Super Kings was no different, but this one turned out to be a nail-biter, according to ESPNcricinfo.
Chasing 149 for the win, Texas needed 13 runs from the final over with Calvin Savage still at the crease. However, Savage only got to face one ball from Xavier Bartlett. His partner Mohammad Mohsin hit two boundaries, bringing it down to 3 needed from the last ball. Bartlett bowled a low full-toss, and the batters could only manage a single. Savage was run out trying to get back for the second run that would've tied the match. The narrow win helped the Unicorns stay on top of the Major League Cricket (MLC) 2025 points table with 14 points from nine matches, while the Super Kings dropped to third place with 12 points from nine games. The Unicorns' win was powered by their captain Matthew Short, who continued his good form and moved back to the top of the tournament's run-scorers list. After being asked to bat first by Faf du Plessis, Short scored 80 off 63 balls with five fours and four sixes. Early on, Unicorns struggled as Finn Allen, Jake Fraser-McGurk, and Sanjay Krishnamurthi fell cheaply. However, Hassan Khan gave Short good support after coming in during the sixth over. The two added 69 runs together before Marcus Stoinis removed Khan for 40 off 25 balls. Short stayed at the crease with help from Romario Shepherd and Hammad Azam and took the total to 148. At the halfway stage, the score looked slightly under par but it proved to be just enough. The Unicorns' bowlers started strong in the second innings. Brody Couch got early breakthroughs, removing openers Faf du Plessis and Smit Patel within the first four overs. Though Marcus Stoinis (34 off 29) and Donovan Ferreira (39 off 20) kept Texas in the hunt, they could never quite take control of the chase. In the end, it came down to the final over, and Xavier Bartlett held his nerve to guide the Unicorns to a thrilling win. (ANI)
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