Seattle Orcas go two in two

Seattle Orcas' (SEO) bowlers had a field day, as they bundled the San Francisco Unicorns (SFU) for 142 runs. 

Earlier, the Orcas won the toss and opted to bat. It seemed like a forced decision, as both skippers admitted to being unsure of what the right approach would be in Dallas. 

Bowling first, the Unicorns had an early breakthrough in the form of Quinton de Kock with a full pacy delivery. The South African keeper had yet another failure, as Haris Rauf managed to peg his off-stump back. His partner, Nauman Anwar, carried his form from the last game scoring 30 runs before getting dismissed to a Liam Plunkett snorter in the penultimate ball of the powerplay. 

Heinrich Klaasen and Shehan Jayasuriya shared a 47-run-stand that ensured that the scoreboard kept ticking at a fair clip. Jayasuriya played second fiddle to Klaasen, who took timely calculated risks against spinners in the middle overs. It was a competent performance from Orcas' batters, with four of their top five batters registering 30+ scores. 

Unicorns struggled to bowl penetrative lines, allowing Orcas to get to 177 without any trouble. Their most economical bowlers were Plunkett and Marcus Stoinis, both of whom ended wicketless. 

Chasing 178 to win, Unicorns got off to a flier thanks to their openers. Finn Allen, in particular, was in a murderous mood. He scored five boundaries and 22 runs off a Wayne Parnell over. However, he got out in the most bizarre fashion the next over, putting paid to his plans of finishing the game early. Attempting an easy single, his bat got stuck in the ground, and Jayasuriya's direct hit found him inches short of the crease.

Matthew Wade was no less aggressive, scoring three consecutive boundaries off Imad Wasim in the over following Allen's dismissal. Wasim had the final laugh as he cleaned him a couple of balls later. 

At the end of the powerplay, SFU needed 111 runs in 14 overs and eight wickets remaining. This included the likes of Aaron Finch, Corey Anderson and Marcus Stoinis. It was their game to lost. And they did just that. 

The Orcas kept chipping away with wickets at regular intervals, ensuring that the Unicorns were never completely ahead of the game. At 140/7, SFU needed 38 in the last three overs, with a set Shadab Khan (35* of 20) on strike. Cameron Gannon then performed the clean-up act, accounting for the last three wickets in just five deliveries, handing the Seattle Orcas their second win in as many games. 

Wayne Parnell, Seattle Orcas skipper, admitted that the surface was a bit hard to predict.

"The most impressive aspect was the fact that we won. We were a little unsure about what to do at the toss. We broke the curse yesterday by chasing and winning. It was the fourth game on this wicket and it went a little up and down. Credit goes to the character of this group. It is about keeping things simple and sticking to what has gotten you here. Sometimes, coming to the franchise setup, you want to impress everyone. For us, it is about gelling and keeping things simple and not complicating them." 

Heinrich Klaasen, Player of the Match, has been in great form all year.

"Need to get a good game under the belt early in the tournament. My plan is to get one hit away and then get going. Try to be very aggressive against the spinners too. If the ball does not turn a lot, and it is in your half, try to hit away. Some spinners you fancy a little more, and I try to pick my spinners to hit. Have fallen into the trap of taking the game for granted. So just waking up every day and starting on zero. This game humbles you very quickly and hopefully this form continues."