Sunil Narine, Los Angeles Knight Riders’ Captain, produces a peachy delivery to dismiss Matthew Short in a crucial match between Los Angeles Knight Riders (LAKR) vs Washington Freedom (WAF) in MLC 2023.
The match took place at Morrisville, with LAKR desperate for a win to keep their playoff hopes alive. Remarkably, this was the first time Narine had ever bowled to Short in his illustrious T20 career.
LAKR made 174 while batting first and they needed to defend it somehow. With such monstrous hitting from Andre Russell who scored 70 off just 37 balls which includes 6 sixes and 6 fours. He has been delivering massively with his quality hitting shots throughout this tournament. He is also the highest run-getter in the MLC 2023 as well. Now, the pressure was on LAKR to defend their total of 175 runs, and the bowlers needed to step up. However, WAF’s batters were in fine form, and they were comfortably placed at 134/2 when the pivotal wicket of Short took place.
The Washington team began their chase of 176 with a strong start, as their opening batters, Matthew Short and Andries Gous, scored 74 runs in the powerplay. LAKR bowlers struggled, and it seemed like Washington was on the path to victory. Even the LAKR skipper Sunil Narine couldn’t bring his team to victory.
Sunil Narine expressed his disappointment over the bowling lineup’s inability to defend their total effectively
During the post-match presentation, Narine mentioned, “I thought 175 was a good total. But they capitalized on the powerplay and took it away. We tried everything but it didn’t happen. (On pitch) It was a bit more true when the lights came on, and we didn’t execute our plans, that’s cricket.”
Despite possessing a star-studded lineup comprising international superstars like Narine, Russell, Adam Zampa, Rilee Rossouw, and Jason Roy, LAKR’s maiden MLC season has been disappointingly lackluster. In contrast, WAF bounced back strongly after an initial defeat and secured their second consecutive victory, placing them in the top three with two wins and one loss.
Currently, LAKR sits at the bottom of the points table with no hopes of qualifying for the playoffs. Sunil Narine will lead the LAKR Team for one final time as they will face the Seattle Orcas at the same venue on Sunday, July 23.
Comments 2