Hassan Khan’s late fireworks sent the San Francisco Unicorns into the MLC semifinals, eliminating the Seattle Orcas

Finn Allen and Hassan Khan (X-Cricbuzz) The San Francisco Unicorns consolidated their top spot in the Major League Cricket rankings and booked their place in the semi-finals with a blistering chase of 191 against the Seattle Orcas, thanks to Hassan Khan’s sensational late strike. With 47 runs needed from the last four overs, the match was still in the balance before Hassan decisively turned it in favor of the Unicorns. The left-hander hammered unbeaten cameos, smashing Tanveer Sangh’s back-to-back sixes before dismantling Marcus Stoinis in the next over with a six-four-four-six sequence to complete the chase in emphatic fashion. The win not only clinched San Francisco’s berth in the semifinals, but also ended Seattle’s playoff hopes. Earlier in the chase, the Unicorns looked comfortably placed at 99 for 1 after 10 overs. Finn Allen set the tone with another aggressive innings, racing to a half-century with his signature leg-side strike, while Matt Short provided solid support. After Allen’s recall, however, the dynamic shifted. Jasdeep Sangha tried Short for an onslaught after adjusting his line after two wides, with Stoinis taking a sharp catch at cover to remove the opener. It capped a busy evening on the field for the Australian, who had earlier taken a spectacular overhead catch at mid-off to dismiss Lhuan-dre Pretorius. Despite having wickets in hand, San Francisco slowed down significantly in the middle overs, managing just 32 runs between the end of the 11th and 16th overs. Short, who moved from 27 off 20 balls to 35 off 31 during this period, struggled to keep the score high before reviving the chase with back-to-back boundaries. His ejection soon after briefly swung the game in Seattle’s favor before Hassan made the decisive counterattack. Seattle’s pitchers also felt the absence of Ottneil Baartman, the tournament’s leading goaltender, who left the contest due to other commitments. Another notable absentee was Dasun Shanaka. Earlier, Seattle recovered well after slumping to 34 for 3. Matthew Breetzke led the charge with sparkling batting, adding 65 runs in just 32 balls alongside Shimron Hetmyer. Breetzke hit four sixes and three fours, with a classy inside-out six off Aaron Hardie among the highlights of his innings. Hetmyer’s stay came to an end when Xavier Bartlett completed an excellent catch at long-on and pulled a wild shot out of the air. Both Bartlett and Hetmyer looked stunned by the catch, with the batter left cowering on the field in disbelief. Breetzke then shared another important partnership with Stoinis. The South African reached his half-century from just 24 balls, but Stoinis took time to get going, scoring only 11 off his first 13 deliveries. Peter Siddle eventually broke the stand by dismissing Breetzke, while Ali Sheikh was dropped on the very next ball. Stoinis accelerated late to the finish with 49 off 35 balls, aided by Cameron Gannon hitting Hardie for back-to-back sixes, to help Seattle post 190. Still, Breetzke later admitted that his side had failed. At the halfway stage, he believed Seattle were “30 runs short”, a prediction that eventually proved accurate as the Unicorns completed the chase to finish top of the table. San Francisco will now join the Los Angeles Knight Riders, MI New York and Washington Freedom in the playoffs.