San Francisco Unicorns sealed top spot in the Major League Cricket standings and booked their place in the semifinals with a thrilling chase of 191 against Seattle Orcas, thanks to a sensational late assault from Hassan Khan. With 47 runs needed from the final four overs, the contest was still evenly poised before Hassan swung it decisively in the Unicorns’ favour. The left-hander hammered an unbeaten cameo, smashing consecutive sixes off Tanveer Sangha before dismantling Marcus Stoinis in the next over with a sequence of six, four, four and six to complete the chase in emphatic fashion. The victory not only secured San Francisco’s semifinal berth but also ended Seattle’s hopes of reaching the playoffs. Earlier in the chase, the Unicorns appeared comfortably placed at 99 for 1 after 10 overs. Finn Allen set the tone with another aggressive innings, racing to a half-century with his trademark leg-side hitting, while Matt Short provided solid support. However, the momentum shifted after Allen’s dismissal. Jasdeep Sangha tempted Short into an attacking stroke after adjusting his line following two wides, with Stoinis producing a sharp catch at cover to remove the opener. It capped an eventful evening in the field for the Australian, who had earlier taken a spectacular overhead catch at mid-on to dismiss Lhuan-dre Pretorius. Despite having wickets in hand, San Francisco slowed considerably during the middle overs, managing only 32 runs between the end of the 11th and 16th overs. Short, who moved from 27 off 20 balls to 35 off 31 during that period, struggled to keep the scoring rate up before reviving the chase with back-to-back boundaries. His dismissal soon after briefly tilted the contest back in Seattle’s favour before Hassan produced the decisive counterattack. Seattle’s bowlers also felt the absence of Ottneil Baartman, the tournament’s leading wicket-taker, who had left the competition due to other commitments. Dasun Shanaka was another notable absentee. Earlier, Seattle recovered well after slipping to 34 for 3. Matthew Breetzke led the fightback with a sparkling knock, adding 65 runs in just 32 balls alongside Shimron Hetmyer. Breetzke struck four sixes and three fours, with an elegant inside-out six off Aaron Hardie among the highlights of his innings. Hetmyer’s stay ended when Xavier Bartlett completed an outstanding catch at long-on, plucking a fiercely struck shot out of the air. Both Bartlett and Hetmyer appeared stunned by the catch, with the batter remaining crouched on the pitch in disbelief. Breetzke then shared another important partnership with Stoinis. The South African reached his half-century from only 24 balls, but Stoinis took time to get going, scoring just 11 from his first 13 deliveries. Peter Siddle eventually broke the stand by dismissing Breetzke, while Ali Sheikh was run out off the very next ball. Stoinis accelerated late to finish with 49 from 35 balls, aided by Cameron Gannon, who struck consecutive sixes off Hardie, helping Seattle post 190. Even so, Breetzke later admitted his side had fallen short. At the halfway stage, he believed Seattle were “30 runs short”, a prediction that ultimately proved accurate as Unicorns completed the chase to finish atop the table. San Francisco will now be joined in the playoffs by Los Angeles Knight Riders, MI New York and Washington Freedom.
