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MI New York begin MLC 2024 with a six-wicket win over the Seattle Orcas in what was a rematch of the finals last year. Rashid Khan and Trent Boult were the stars with the ball while Nicholas Pooran finished off the game with the bat with a quickfire 62 not out.
The defending champions had no hesitation to bowl first after winning what was a crucial toss on a pitch that looked tacky, sticky, and two-paced for much of the contest. As is the norm with Trent Boult these days, his first over got him a wicket when Naumaan Anwar nicked one that was going across him. Quinton de Kock followed suit after a poorly-timed whip which looped into the gloves of Pooran.
Rashid then took matters into his own hands. Introduced into the attack in the last over of the PowerPlay, he got himself into the act with a full delivery that Aaron Jones missed with his attempted sweep and was adjudged LBW.
A bigger wicket followed for Rashid, who won an important duel against Heinrich Klaasen, the South Africa miscuing a pull straight to deep mid-wicket. The Orcas kept losing wickets at regular intervals through the knock with only Shubham Ranjane adding any notion of respectability to the scorecard with a 31-ball 35. He became the third of Rashid’s wickets. Boult matched that with a third wicket of his own while captain Kieron Pollard grabbed two wickets as the Orcas folded with four balls still left in their innings.
With openers Ruben Clinton and Monank Patel falling easily to Cameron Gannon, MINY’s pursuit got off to a shaky start. However, Pooran approached the chase in a counter-offensive manner, putting together a 41-run partnership during which Shayan Jahangir, his partner for the third wicket, could only muster three out of eight. With 34 balls remaining, the Caribbean T20 player guided his team across the finish line with seven fours and two sixes.