Major League Cricket 2025's third season is underway in the United States with great enthusiasm. The 10th match of the tournament provided spectators with a high-scoring and thrilling encounter between the Texas Super Kings and the San Francisco Unicorns.
Sports News: In the exciting matches of Major League Cricket 2025 currently underway in the USA, the 10th match played on Friday night saw Faf du Plessis's explosive batting display, yet his team, the Texas Super Kings, suffered a resounding defeat at the hands of the San Francisco Unicorns.
Faf du Plessis's Explosive Batting
Texas Super Kings captain and veteran batsman Faf du Plessis once again showcased his classic batting prowess. The 42-year-old veteran smashed 100 runs off just 51 balls. This century included 6 fours and 7 sixes, achieving a strike rate of 196.08. This was his 7th T20 century, demonstrating that age is just a number for him.
Under Faf's captaincy, the Texas Super Kings had been performing well this season, but in this match, his lone century was let down by the team's other players and bowlers.
Texas's Batting: A One-Man Show
- Texas's innings revolved entirely around Faf's performance.
- Devon Conway had a slow start, scoring 23 runs, lacking aggression in his innings.
- Saiteja Mukkamalla scored 38 runs, but paled in comparison to Plessis's pace.
- Ultimately, no batsman could accelerate in the final overs, resulting in the team reaching only 198 runs for 5 wickets in 20 overs.
- Considering this score, Texas supporters were hopeful of victory, but the second half of the story was quite shocking.
Unicorns' Reply: Texas Tossed in the Gale
A target of 199 runs is considered challenging in T20, but the San Francisco Unicorns made light work of it. Their batting rhythm, from start to finish, rendered Texas's bowling ineffective.
- Finn Allen scored 78 runs off 35 balls, targeting Texas's bowlers with 8 sixes and 4 fours.
- Matthew Short also batted brilliantly, scoring 61 runs off 29 balls, including 6 fours and 4 sixes.
- Jack Fraser McGurk played an unbeaten innings of 37 runs off 25 balls, finishing the match in 16.1 overs.
It's noteworthy that the Unicorns' batting was so explosive that none of Texas's bowling plans were successful.
Texas's Bowling: A Major Reason for Defeat
If one seeks the reason for Texas's defeat, their bowling was the biggest factor.
- Except for Adam Milne, no other bowler was impactful. Milne took 1 wicket for 24 runs in 3 overs.
- Haris Rauf and Jeavor Royal took wickets but proved quite expensive.
- The team's death-over bowling plan completely failed, and the Unicorns achieved the target with three overs remaining.
This defeat not only dealt a blow to Texas's standings but also undermined Faf du Plessis's efforts. His magnificent innings received no support from his teammates. Despite this, du Plessis's form and enthusiasm clearly indicate that he remains a world-class batsman.
