With Dallas, Texas, basking in the sun, the Seattle Orcas were looking good to turn the MLC points table on its head. With Warner opening to set the scene, Jones in the middle, Hetmyer and Raza contributing at the tail, 177/6 seemed a respectable if not match-winning score, on a bit of a sticky wicket. But as we know, cricket is a game of “ifs and buts “, and when the dust finally settled, the scoreboard might’ve said “chase,” but LAKR treated it like a clearance sale—grabbed the win early and left change on the table.
Seattle’s Bowling Firepower Misfired Badly
First up, let’s address the bowling—or more precisely, the shortcomings on that front. Seattle’s bowling looked less like a bowling attack and more like a suggestion. The ‘enforcer’, Gerald Coetzee, was smashed for 36 in 3 overs. Kyle Mayers? I was shattered for 14 in a single over that might as well have been charity. Daw Chen? He was about as effective as a paper umbrella in a cyclone, but somehow still picked up a wicket. None of the bowlers, besides Harmeet Singh to an extent, looked like they could settle into any rhythm or control whatsoever.
Jasdeep Singh pulled 3.2 overs, 29 runs, and still only had one wicket (albeit way too late when he took it). The power play was horrible. LAKR were (7/0, 7/1, and 7/2), and the Orcas failed to capitalise. The pressure that might have cracked the Knight Riders’ middle order never came.
The Unmukt-Saif Show Turned the Match
If Seattle was hoping the two breakthrough wickets would throw LA off its chase, they had underestimated the impact of Unmukt Chand. A former U-19 star for India, Chand rolled back the years with a dazzling display. He was seamlessly graceful and destructively deliberate in timing, scoring an unbeaten 86 runs off only 58 deliveries. Chand faced spin as if he was never off the subcontinent; he faced fast bowling as if he had nothing to fear.
Saif Badar also contributed with a heavy counter-punch, scoring 54 runs off only 32 balls with 4 sixes. Even when Badar departed the chase, Chand remained a maestro. But Chand and Rutherford just put the finishing touches on the orchestration. The 139-run partnership between Badar and Chand was dagger sharp, sudden, and lethal. They shifted the match, but it was more than that: they stole it, rewrote it, and turned Seattle’s bowling plan into rubble!
Flat Energy, Weak Finish, and Tactical Stumbles
Lastly, the hard-to-quantify, qualitative stuff in the scorecard: Seattle’s fielding and leadership were uninspiring. There were not a lot of ridiculous dropped catches or howlers, but the body language was flat, energy levels were low, and captain Klaasen did not quite have his troops responding to authority. Warner and Jones provided a reasonable platform for the Orcas, but didn’t give the innings the finishing kick.
They had wickets in hand at the death, but you were left to feel that 177 was about 15 low. There’s no doubt the Orcas have over-reliance on Klaasen and Raza with the bat, and when Klaasen fell for a meek 4, their middle-order faltered. A game that looked like 200 was possible and ended at 177, and against LA’s batting order, that is a gift.
So what’s wrong? Everywhere and now, where. A fair total, wasted new-ball opportunity, soft in the field, and two batters who ensured Seattle never got the chance to bat a second time. The Orcas will not forget this one, not because they were thrashed but because they had the ammunition, they had the position, and they had the opportunity… only to squander it away.
Disclaimer: This Exclusive News is based on the author’s understanding, analysis, and instinct. As you review this information, consider the points mentioned and form your own conclusions.
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