MI New York achieved a fantastic victory against the Texas Super Kings by 6 wickets in the Challenger match of MLC 2023 at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas on Saturday. This win earned them a spot in the Major League Cricket’s inaugural final, where they will face off against the Seattle Orcas.
The key players in their triumph were Trent Boult, who took four crucial wickets, and Dewald Brevis, whose important knock helped secure MINY’s place in the MLC Final with a chance to win the trophy.
During the Super Kings’ batting innings, Boult’s impressive opening spell caused them trouble. Faf du Plessis struggled against him, resulting in an edge caught by Dewald Brevis at backward point on the legside. The decision to promote Mitchell Santner in the batting order didn’t work out, as he was caught behind by the keeper just three balls later.
Cody Chetty initially had a slow start but picked up the pace by hitting three boundaries in quick succession off David Wiese and Ehsan Adil. Unfortunately, his attempt at an uppercut ended in an easy catch behind the stumps by Nicholas Pooran, ending his innings.
Milind Kumar found his footing and began hitting boundaries, including a boundary and a six off consecutive deliveries in the 14th over from Steven Taylor. However, Rashid Khan dismissed him, and Brevis took a brilliant catch in the deep. In the following over, Conway was also caught by Brevis off a short ball from Boult, marking Brevis’s third catch of the match.
The Super Kings attempted a desperate acceleration in the final overs, with David Miller and Calvin Savage hitting a few sixes. However, it wasn’t enough to reach a competitive total. MINY’s bowlers continued to chip away, and they managed to limit the Super Kings to a reachable score.
When MINY started their chase, Shayan Jahangir and Slade van Staden provided a strong start. Van Staden, although struggling throughout his 12-ball stay, managed to hit a boundary before being dismissed by Juan Theron. Despite his quick blitz, he laid the groundwork for Pooran and Brevis to build upon.
Pooran and Brevis formed a crucial 30-run partnership, mainly focusing on rotating the strike, while Pooran also hit some sixes off Santner to keep the required run rate in check. Pooran was eventually trapped leg-before by a fine yorker from Daniel Sams, but Brevis and Tim David ensured no further setbacks.
Brevis and David continued to attack the veteran spinner, Santner, hitting him for sixes, and they managed to secure the win with an extra over to spare. With this victory, MI New York sealed their spot in the MLC Final, where they will face the Seattle Orcas for a chance to claim the trophy.
