Franchise cricket made its presence felt on American soil as the inaugural edition of Major League Cricket (MLC) got underway. A sell-out crowd braved the Dallas heat to witness the opening fixture between Texas Super Kings and LA Knight Riders on Thursday evening, with the home side bagging the honours. While the rest of the games did not seem to garner the same number of eyeballs, there was a steady stream of people flocking to the Grand Prairie Stadium to see what the fuss was all about. At the end of week one, after two games each, Seattle Orcas were the only side to win both their encounters, while LAKR failed to get on the board. The other four teams all managed a win and a loss each. Here's how week one of MLC panned out.
The firsts…
Lockie Ferguson nabbed MLC's first-ever wicket, off his first ball no less, getting rid of Faf du Plessis for a golden duck. But fittingly, it was Ali Khan, perhaps the most recognisable American star and a Texas local, who delivered the first ball of the tournament. It did not take him long to feature in the wickets column either as he took out Lahiru Milantha, but not before the batter smashed the first six of the competition. Devon Conway hit the first four and became the first man to notch up a fifty in MLC, much to the delight of the local TSK fans, of whom there were plenty on the opening night.
Anderson winds back the clock, gets back-up from Shadab
Corey Anderson has a habit of announcing himself in style. Not many can forget his maiden ODI ton when he broke a 17-year-old record for the fastest century in the format's history. The former New Zealand international, who is now vying for a place in the USA national team, got his MLC career going in style against MI New York, a franchise he has been a part of in the IPL previously.
With San Francisco Unicorns struggling at 22 for 3, which soon became 50 for 4 in seven overs, Anderson was at it from the get-go and found an ally in Shadab Khan. The duo added a 58-ball 129 for the fifth wicket to take SF to 215 for 5, the only 200-plus total so far in MLC. Anderson made an unbeaten 91 off 52, his innings laced with four fours and seven sixes, while Shadab hammered 61 off 30, with four fours and five sixes. MI NY could only manage 193 for 5.
Allen slouches, de Kock stuns
Quinton de Kock hasn't fired with the bat yet, but the same can't be said about his wicketkeeping. He plucked a hat-trick of catches in the 18th over of Seattle's game against SF, the highlight being the final take which helped his side continue their spotless record. Cameron Gannon got a back-of-a-length ball to rise up sharply at SF's No.11 Carmi le Roux, who fended at it and seemed to get enough bat to clear de Kock. But the wicketkeeper flung to his right, one-handed with the ball almost behind him to complete a stunning take.
Finn Allen made the highlight reel as well, though for entirely different reasons. Chasing 178, SF were off to a flyer, reaching 41 in three overs, thanks largely to Allen taking down Wayne Parnell for 22 in the third over. A couple of balls into the fourth, he tucked a Gannon back-of-a-length ball to the right of midwicket, only to amble across what he felt was an easy run. But Shehan Jayasuriya sensed a chance as he swooped across and fired a throw at the non-striker's end. Allen was caught off-guard and in response, tried to plonk his bat in, only for it to stick into the turf. The ball hit the stumps and Allen was sent packing. SF's chase continued to slide thereon.
San Francisco's high, LAKR's low
While SF slammed the highest score of the tournament in week one, LAKR's batting remained below par in both games. In the opening fixture, they were bowled out for 112 chasing TSK's 182, while on Sunday, in pursuit of 156 against MI NY, they were knocked out for 50.
On a sluggish surface, none of the batters found themselves at ease with only Unmukt Chand reaching double-figures and accounting for more than half of the team's runs. MI NY used five bowlers and each of them picked up two wickets to bowl LAKR out in 13.5 overs. LAKR now have the two lowest scores in the competition so far.
#420
Players choosing unorthodox numbers at the back of their shirts is not uncommon, but Adam Zampa's 420 has piqued some interest. While he sports the number 63 while playing for Australia, he did wear 420 on the back of his shirt earlier this year at the ILT20. Why he has chosen the number is anyone's guess. If the cool shades weren't enough, the number has certainly gotten people talking.
Domestic watch: Harmeet and Kenjige
While the sample size is small, Harmeet Singh and Nosthush Kenjige were the standout domestic performers. Harmeet, the former India U-19 star, who has now moved to the USA, picked up three wickets in two games at an economy rate of just 4.87. He held one end up and was a key component in both of Seattle's wins.
Kenjige, part of the ODI World Cup Qualifiers recently, played just one game but left a huge mark. Turning out in MI NY's second outing against LAKR, the left-arm spinner opened the bowling and trapped Martin Guptill with his third ball. He returned after the powerplay and immediately removed Jaskaran Malhotra to finish with figures of 3-0-7-2 on MLC debut.