Hetmyer spoiled Pooran's century, hit a six on the last ball, Beat unconvinced MINY; chased the highest score and end their losing streak

 @teammates congratulate Hetmyer after winning the match vs MINY MLC2025

 Seattle Orcas record thriller over MI New York:

Seattle, Dallas June 28, 2025: The Seattle Orcas produced an incredible power-hitting display, nerve and drama to run down an imposing 238-run target to claim a thrilling three-wicket victory over MI New York in Match 18 of the 2025 Major League Cricket (MLC) season. An explosive 97- off-40 by Shimron Hetmyer anchored a chase that was to go down the history, with a last-ball six that sealed the win and new record in run-chasing in MLC history

i

000

Batting Blitz to 237/4 in 20 Overs, MI New York:

MI New York, who chose to bat first in flat batter-friendly pitch in Grand Prairie Cricket Stadium, went on a batting rampage. Captain Nicholas Pooran churned out a master-class, smashing an unbeaten 108 runs off 60 balls. This knock was a pure display of aggression and power with 7 fours and 8 sixes in it Supporting Pooran in his heroics was the incendiary Tajinder Singh who blistered 95 off 35 balls, which is over two runs per ball. Their collaboration demoralized the Orcas bowling attack and pushed MI New York to mammoth 237 for 4 During the innings of MI, Monank Patel contributed a quick 20 runs in 14 balls. The bowlers of the Orcas in the mean time were kept to the cleaners, and to a great extent were worked. Kyle Mayers and Gerald Coetzee both took two wickets, at very expensive economy rates, 34 runs and 46 runs respectively, and this reflects the lack of pace in the pitch Scorecard Snapshot MI New York Batting:     Batter                       Run      Balls    4s     6s       SR Nicholas Pooran (c)*    108         60      7         8        180 Tajinder Singh               95          35      8         8        271 Monank Patel               20           14      2         1        143

Chase by Orcas: Initial Losing & The Entrance In The Battle

The pursuit of the Orcas started in jerks. They suffered an upper-order collapse as they lost three wickets within the powerplay, reducing to 86/3 during the sixth over. Kyle Mayers (37 off 20) and captain Sikandar Raza (30 off 9) made brief appearances to stabilize the innings to set a base to attack in the end MI New York bowlers replied: Trent Boult took three wickets at 31 runs in four overs and Delano Potgieter bowled two at 46- still the Seattle was scoring the high number of runs Hetmyer Heroics: The Heart of the Chase 

During the carnage Shimron Hetmyer stood unperturbed. He banged an unbeaten 97 made off only 40 balls, hitting the boundary 5 times and clobbering 9 huge sixes, a stupendous strike rate of 242.5 As the goal seemed near, the nerves were on fever pitch. Requiring 9 in the last over to be bowled by Kieron Pollard, the Orcas faltered with three consecutive dot balls, the tension was building up The next to the last ball resulted in a boundary, putting the equation to 6 off the last ball. It was on that fateful final ball that Hetmyer knelt and then slapped a full ball over fine leg to clear the fence in an emblematic moment in MLC history. The spectators went crazy when Seattle won by the last ball. Important Stats & Records:

•   Highest successful chase in MLC history: The Orcas 238/7 beat the            record of  all previous history

• Total run scored: 475 runs in both the innings a run-fest indeed

• Player of the Match: Shimron Hetmyer, his 97* carried the chase over the        finishing line

• The power couple of MI New York: Pooran (108*) and Tajinder (95)                  provided MI NY 203 runs in less than 14 overs losing only 1 wicket

Tactical Insights and turning points:

• Choosing the field first: The Seahawks won the toss and opted to field first; a move that turned out to be the right one because they could restrict the late overs of MI and knew what the target was early on

• MI Batting depth: Pooran and Tajinder went berserk. Their joint attack managed to take more than 200 runs within a short period of time, which essentially raised the standard of the highest-chases to be witnessed in MLC

• Orcas Bowling Pressure: Although the Orcas bowlers gave away a lot of runs, they managed to break through when it mattered. Mayers and Coetzee checked and the pursuit became manageable

• Hetmyer at the Clutch: His maturity in the crunch-time moments, particularly management of the run-rate during the run-chase and applying the kill shot, were the greatest contribution of his season

  Click on Image Below

  and Wait For 10 Seconds to Continue

  
  

  
  

  
  
  Create same add Box

Reactions from the Camp :

• Shimron Hetmyer after his innings termed it as one of his best knocks, credits composure and prayer to his mindset

• Seattle captain Sikandar Raza, hailed his team character, and said that this    is when characters are tested. I would have been a proud man had we lost as well”

  Click on Image Below

  and Wait For 10 Seconds to Continue

  
  

  
  

  
  
  Create same add Box

The Implication of This Win to Seattle:

• Ending the Losing Streak: A win after a five-game losing streak brought some much needed morale and momentum to Seattle 

• New Era Under Raza: The Orcas demonstrated the strength and flexibility under a new skipper interim Raza, who was appointed after head coach Matthew Mott was fired

• Improvement in Stands: The victory provides a much needed pick-me-up in the race to the playoffs in a tightly fought MLC season.

MI New York: A Comfort & Teachings

• Batting wizardry, bowling failure: Although the initial batters Pooran and             Tajinder were superb, MI failed to defend the score as they could not hit in       the death overs and stem the Seattle middle overs comeback.

• Bowling in the Spotlight: Boult and Potgieter were on fire at the top end but       MI imploded towards the end when it mattered most, giving Hetmyer the           breathing space he needed.

•   Playoff Pressure: MI New York record two victories in six games and this           has  cast doubt on their play off chances despite the presence of a powerful     batting line up

Looking Ahead:

• Having built a lot of momentum through the victory, Seattle Orcas will enter their next match on June 29 against the LA Knight Riders with a lot of hope of consistency.

• MI New York will have to come back rebounded fast because they have another round of two games to go with and they need to redeem themselves in a bid to survive in the playoff race.

Conclusion:

This pursuit was not only about bat-velocity or bloated numbers, it was an exhibition of mental toughness, mathematical daring and sheer guts. That was not merely a six; it was a statement; a statement that even the most mammoth of targets can be overcome with the right mind and determination. This game will go down as a reference point of the contemporary T20 approach: when it looks right to bat, bat; when it feels like taking the challenge of the chase, take it; but expect things to go awry, and meet the insanity with your head held high. The epic pursuit of Seattle Orcas is now carved in the legend of MLC, and MI New York will regret the lost opportunities, but that is thickness of nail in T20 cricket.

Click on Image Below

and Wait For 10 Seconds to Continue

Create same add Box

To fans, players, and analysts, this game was a reminder of a T20 truth: as long as the last ball is remaining, hope, and the next big hit, will always be at the top of the game.

Brief Scores : 

Mi New York Innings: 237/4 (20 Overs) Nicholas Pooran 108* off 60 Balls (7 Fours & 8 Sixes), Tajinder Dhillon 95 off 35 Balls ( 8 Fours & 8 Sixes)

Seattle Orcas Bowling: Kyle Mayers 2/34 (4 Overs), Gerald Coetzee 2/46 (4 Overs)

Seattle Orcas Innings:  Shimron Hetmyer 97* off 40 Balls (5 Fours & 9 Sixes), Kyle Mayers 37 off 20 Balls (4 Fours & 2 Sixes) 

MI New York Bowling: Trent Boult 3/31 (4 Overs), Delano Potgieter 2/46 (3 Overs)

Player of the Match: Shimron Hetmyer

Result: Seattle Orcas Won by 3 Wickets