San Francisco Unicorns vs Seattle Orcas, 11th Match, Major League Cricket 2026 - CommentarySFU vs SOR, 11th Match, Major League Cricket 2026 - Commentary

That's all from this game, folks! We'll be back tomorrow with more exciting MLC action as MI New York take on the LA Knight Riders, before Washington Freedom face the Texas Super Kings. Until then, goodbye and take care!

Matthew Short: I thought we were out of it a few times there. You know, credit to probably the bowlers in that second half of the innings to crawl it back. Obviously taking wickets was the key there. They obviously got off to a flyer. But then, yeah, we sort of hung in there and kept taking wickets and kept us in the game, really. And then, obviously, lost a couple of early wickets, which, again, probably put us on the back foot. Credit to our middle order and, you know, our youngster in Pretorius just showing us, you know, how classy he is. (What was the conversation at the drinks break?) I think we just sort of started bowling what we weren't bowling in the first 10. I think we were a bit ill-disciplined in the first 10 there, and then I think we sort of went back to basics. We obviously played here a couple of days ago, and, yeah, we knew what worked, and we sort of tried to stick to that as much as we can. And, obviously, wickets help. So taking wickets sort of put them a bit on the slower side, and we went from there. Yeah, I mean, Pretorius, obviously, a very young player. First time over here, and just really classy. He's very mature for a young fella, very strong as well. He sort of sets himself nicely and hits the ball nice and hard. And then, yeah, credit to Couch there. He scored a few in the last game here and then did it again tonight. He's another strong player, and hopefully, maybe he's not quite needed as much the rest of the tour, but, yeah, he's showing some class as well.

Brody Couch | Player of the Match: (How happy are you?) A bit of relief, but ultimately just pumped we could get a win tonight after a disappointing loss first game in. (Do you remember playing in such a topsy-turvy T20?) I've played in a few games like this, but tonight was definitely one of the testing material games, that's for sure. I think halfway through the first innings, we just had to trust the process so we can get back in the game after they got off to a flyer. So, yeah, just so pumped that we could get the win. (Did you really believe you could get over the line?) Yeah, I think you have to in that situation. You have to back yourself. Look, we were just trying to bat for as long as we could, get to the last over, and then reassess. And, yeah, it's paid off. They (spectators) were awesome tonight. You could definitely feel it out there. So, I appreciate all the support from the fans. (You adjusted and reacted to how the pitch was playing?) Yeah, I think they got off to a flyer, so it was more so just focusing on our process. Using the wicket, bowling that hard length top of the stumps, trying not to do too much. And, yeah, as I said before, it's been a game that ebbed and flowed, so it's nice to be on the right side of it.

Marcus Stoinis: I think we definitely had opportunities to win that, both with bat and ball, but with the bat especially. I think we almost got too far ahead of ourselves and didn't stick to the things that we know we should do to put together that big score. We had a great platform. So I think we could have obviously made an extra 30, 40, 50 runs even. And then with the ball, we did really well to pull it back. I think the conditions changed a little bit. There was a bit of drizzle and maybe a bit of dew on the grass. But hats off to them, they did well. Both teams stuck in the game the whole time, and they did the same thing with the ball. So, yeah, it is what it is. We're on the wrong side of this one, but hopefully we're on the right side of the next one. I don't think conditions changed too much. It definitely gets harder in the back half of the innings, but I don't think we were smart enough, to be honest. I think we got off to such a good start that to keep going at that tempo might have always been difficult and got us into trouble in the end. (Do you think those four balls you would like to have back and been able to play through?) I mean, obviously, ideally, that's not the plan, but that's the way it went.

22:02 Local Time, 05:02 GMT, 10:32 IST: The Unicorns pull off a thrilling two-wicket victory over the Orcas in a nail-biting finish. Earlier in the day, half-centuries from Jahangir and Breetzke powered the Orcas to an imposing total of 191. While the Unicorns' bowlers chipped in with a collective effort to prevent the innings from getting completely out of hand, the Orcas' batting unit did well to post a challenging target. In reply, the Unicorns lost a few early wickets, but Pretorius produced a breathtaking counterattack to keep the chase alive. Even as wickets continued to fall at the other end, he stuck to his aggressive approach and raced to a scintillating fifty before eventually departing for a stunning 87 off just 39 deliveries. With the game hanging in the balance, the lower order held their nerve and kept the chase alive. It eventually went down to the final moments, where Couch played a decisive cameo to guide the Unicorns home. And let's not forget his impact with the ball earlier in the evening, when he claimed three crucial wickets to set up a memorable all-round performance.

Equation: 12 runs needed in 6 balls. Shanaka to bowl the 20th over