The Los Angeles Knight Riders made history on Wednesday by reaching their first Major League Cricket (MLC) final after defeating the San Francisco Unicorns by seven runs in Qualifier 1 at the Oakland Coliseum in Oakland.Powered by half centuries from Colin Munro, Andre Russell and a late blitz from Rowman PowellLAKR posted 187/3 before maintaining a spirited chase led by Matthew Short and Sanjay Krishnamurthi.Despite the defeat, San Francisco Unicorns remain alive in the tournament. They will now play in the Challenger against the winner of the Eliminator for a place in the final.
Munro, Russell lays the platform
Asked to bat first after the San Francisco Unicorns won the toss, Los Angeles Knight Riders lost Andre Fletcher for seven in just the second over.Colin Munro set up the innings with a composed 51 off 44 balls, hitting five fours and two sixes. He shared a crucial stand of 96 runs with Andre Russell, who anchored the innings with an unbeaten 62 off 50 deliveries.The biggest momentum shift came in the final overs when Rovman Powell entered. The West Indies batsman smashed an unbeaten 50 off just 15 balls, hammering two fours and six sixes at a staggering rate of 333.33.Powell and Russell added an unbeaten 57 runs in just 19 deliveries to lift LAKR to a challenging 187/3 in 20 overs.For the Unicorns, Ghulam Mudassar claimed 2/42, while captain Matthew Short took a wicket.
Narine strikes early but Short keeps Unicorns alive
San Francisco Unicorns have suffered a nightmare start in the hunt. Sunil Narine removed both Lhuan-dre Pretorius and Finn Allen in the opening three deliveries, reducing the Unicorns to 1/2.Captain Matthew Short then rebuilt the innings with Sanjay Krishnamurthi. The pair put together a brilliant 151-run partnership, bringing the chase back on track.Short remained unbeaten on 94 off 62 balls, hitting 10 fours and two sixes, while Krishnamurthi made an excellent 65 off 47 balls with six boundaries and three sixes.However, Shadley van Schalkwyk dismissed Krishnamurthi in the 18th over before removing Aaron Hardie late in the innings. The wickets proved decisive as the Unicorns finished on 180/4, going down by seven runs.Narine returned figures of 2/28, while van Schalkwyk also claimed two wickets.
Powell named the Player of the Match
Powell was named Player of the Match for his explosive unbeaten fifty.Reflecting on his knock, Powell said he always rated a first innings higher.“I still think the 73 in Pomona is the best innings. Today was a bit of fun, you know, the fans got their money’s worth. But having said that, it was a very good team performance overall.”I credit Munro and Russell for setting up the innings.“Yes, we’ve always spoken as a batting group and we say we don’t want to lose wickets in clusters. The two boys batting at the top of the order, number three, and Dre, have played fantastically well. They set the platform for me to go and do what I do. As I say, it’s good to be in a final. The boys generally played good cricket.”Speaking about batting on a challenging surface, Powell added: “I just have clarity. And the moment I went to bat, I had no choice but to do what I did. But it’s good to get a few on the bat, out of the middle. As a batsman, you are always looking to play that kind of innings.”When he reached the first MLC final of the franchise, Powell said: “Yes, it means everything. It’s a franchise that had not qualified for the playoffs, and now we are in the final, one step away from our final goal. It’s just for us now to take tomorrow to rest, plan, see how the game goes today, and see how to put the best in a few days to get out of our franchise.