Major League Cricket: Texas Super Kings end league stage with 37-run win over Seattle Orcas

Dallas [Texas], July 24 : Led by Calvin Savage's all-round performance, the Texas Super Kings handed the Seattle Orcas a comprehensive 37-run defeat in the final league match of the Major League Cricket (MLC) 2024 at Grand Prairie Stadium, Dallas, on Tuesday.
Despite Quinton de Kock and Shehan Jayasuriya giving the Orcas a solid start in their run chase the Texas Super Kings' bowlers, led by Ottneil Bartmann (3/20), Noor Ahmad (2/19) and Calvin Savage (2/23), dismantled the Seattle batting lineup.
With the conclusion of the match, Seattle Orcas finish their campaign with six losses and a sole victory, whereas the Texas Super Kings, who secured three wins and two losses (two no results) will play MI New York in the eliminator.
Mirroring the first innings, the Seattle Orcas' run chase of 178 runs, lost Ryan Rickleton (0) off the first ball of the innings to Ottneil Bartman. Shehan Jayasuriya (24 in 27 balls, with three fours and a six) joined Quinton de Kock (26 in 19 balls, with two fours and a six), and the pair took control of the run chase. At the end of the powerplay, the Seattle Orcas were placed at 47/1.
Shehan Jayasuriya eventually fell to Calvin Savage in the seventh over after a 27-ball stint at the crease. Not long after, the dangerous Quinton de Kock was also dismissed, leaving the Orcas at 59/3 in the ninth over.
Faced with a steep equation, the onus was on Heinrich Klaasen (4) and Matthew Bracewell (4) to steer the innings. However, both batters were outfoxed by spinners and dismissed for single digits. Mitchell Santner saw the back of Klaasen, while Bracewell was trapped by Noor Ahmad.
Coming together with the score at 67/5 in 10.4 overs, Shubham Ranjane (16) and Keemo Paul (25 in 17 balls, with three fours) labored to keep the Orcas in contention. However, Ranjane was run out and Keemo Paul was castled by Noor Ahmad before the 17th over, comprehensively extinguishing the run chase. Ali Sheikh chipped in with a consolatory knock, but the Orcas fell well short, finishing at 140/9.Otneill Bartman took two wickets in the tail to finish with figures of 3/20.
Earlier in the day. The Texas Super Kings lost openers Devon Conway (0) and Joshua Tromp (6) early in the innings, however, Faf Du Plessis (39 in 17 balls) was in fine form, smashing six boundaries and a six before he was scalped by Keemo Paul. At the end of the power play the Texas Super Kings were placed at 56/3.
Milind Kumar (29 in 28 balls, with two sixes) played a watchful knock, scoring nearly a run-a-ball before he became Keemo Paul's second wicket of the day. The experienced all-rounders, Marcus Stoinis (11) and Mitchell Santner (15) both got starts, but failed to convert them into bigger scores, falling to Aryan Desai and Matthew Bracewell, respectively.
Calvin Savage (45* in 27 balls, with six fours and two sixes) orchestrated the biggest partnership of the innings, joined by Cameron Stevenson, the pair put on 43 runs in just 23 deliveries in the final phase of the innings. Stevenson (17) struck a four and six to support Savage's late innings fireworks, but was cleaned by Nandre Burger in the 18th overs.
Savage hammered Bracewell for two consecutive maximums in the 16th over and went on to script a 17 run over of Nande Burger's 18th over to remain unbeaten and help the Texas Super Kings finish at 177/8.

Brief Scores
Texas Super Kings 177/8 (Faf Du Plessis 39 off 17, Colin Savage 45* off 27, Keemo Paul 2/18, Ayan Desai 2/30) beat Seattle Orcas 140/9 (Quinton de Kock 26 off 19, Keemo Paul 25 off 17, Ottneil Bartman 3/20, Noor Ahmad 2/19 ) by 37 runs.