Pakistan all-rounder Shadab Khan was at his brutal best in the Major League Cricket (MLC 2023) match between San Francisco Unicorns and MI New York. He smashed 61 off just 30 balls to guide Unicorns to 215 for 5 in 20 overs. MI New York could manage 193 for 5 in 20 overs, losing the game by 22 runs. Shadab Khan’s knock was quite influential in Unicorns putting up such a massive total. He also brought up the fifty in quick time.
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Shadab smashed leggie Sarabjit Ladda for 2 fours and 2 sixes in the same over to reach his half-century. The first six was straight down the ground before Shadab hit a four at deep extra cover region. He then tonked two more sixes to surprise the MI New York side.
Watch Shadab’ Pyrotechnics in Major League Cricket here:
ABSOLUTE KHAN-age!
Shadab Khan TEES _____off in the 15th over, going SIX, FOUR, SIX, SIX to bring up his 5_0_!
1_4_4_/4_ (14.4) pic.twitter.com/Y3DFm7JIqC
— Major League Cricket (@MLCricket) July 14, 2023
Not to forget, Corey Anderson played a fantastic innings of 91* runs off 52 balls to help the San Francisco Unicorns defeat MI New York by 22 runs.
The Unicorns got off to a perfect start with the ball as Carmi le Roux dismissed Steven Taylor for a duck in the second delivery of the innings. Le Roux struck again in the third over, leaving MI New York reeling at 13/2. Dewald Brevis provided the much-needed impetus to MI New York's innings with two fours and two sixes, but he was sent packing for 32 runs off 25 balls by Shadab Khan in the 9th over.
Nicholas Pooran struck two maximums off Chaitanya Bishnoi's bowling in the 11th over, but Liam Plunkett ended his innings with an off-cutter in the very next over. Captain Kieron Pollard kept MI New York in the hunt when he smashed two sixes and a four off Le Roux's bowling in the 15th over, however, Plunkett sealed the deal for the Unicorns when he dismissed Pollard for 48 runs off 27 balls in the 18th over.
Earlier in the day, the San Francisco Unicorns won the toss and chose to bat first. Kagiso Rabada and Trent Boult rocked the Unicorns' top order early in the innings as their opponents found themselves in massive trouble at 22/3 in 3.1 overs. Aaron Finch tried to get his team's innings going, but even he returned to the pavilion after being dismissed by Sarabjit Ladda in the seventh over.
However, Corey Anderson and Shadab Khan took centre stage thereafter as they strung a 129-run partnership for the Unicorns. Shadab smashed Ehsan Adil for a six and a four in the 10th over. The duo of Anderson and Shadab sent the ball over the fence twice off Hammad Azam's bowling in the 14th over, taking the Unicorns' score to 122/4. Shadab continued to strike the ball cleanly as he hit three sixes and a four off Sarabjit Ladda's bowling in the 15th over.
