The stakes are getting higher in the Major League Cricket season and there is an important match in the event on Thursday night when we head to Dallas for the clash between MI New York and the San Francisco Unicorns.
The stakes are getting high for the defending champions MI New York as they are running out of matches to make it into the top four in the table and really could use a win here. The Unicorns will secure their place in the finals with a win here.
MI New York
This clearly hasn’t been the title defence that MI New York would have wanted and they are close to drinking in the last chance saloon now. They could still mathematically make the top four with a defeat here but it would need so many results to go in their favour and such a net run rate swing that it is incredibly unlikely so they have to be looking at this one as a must-win match. That brings pressure but also a clarity of mind to their approach.
They really need their top order to come up with something resembling the goods. If they can set the innings up for the likes of Nicholas Pooran, Tim David or Kieron Pollard then they should be ok, especially with four overs of Rashid Khan to come with the ball but if those names batters end up having to rebuild or are under pressure to up the ante then it could go wrong again. It is time for the champions to step up and deliver the goods.
San Francisco Unicorns
The San Francisco Unicorns have had a solid campaign so far. They have won two of their three completed matches so far and if they can find another win here then they will be into the top four with two matches to spare and can concentrate on trying to land a top two finish which would give themselves a couple of chances to get to the final should they need them. They will still be in a good position to make the top four even with a loss here but the top two would be out of their own control.
San Francisco have batted very well in this tournament in the main. They came up short against Texas Super Kings in a weird match in Morrisville but apart from that they have gone well with the bat. They will certainly appreciate being here in Dallas where the ball comes onto the bat a little more than it did in Morrisville. Their bowling has assessed conditions well in the tournament so far as well so there is a lot to like about the Unicorns.
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Key Players
Rashid Khan is going to be a big player in this match. He showed in a previous MI New York match that he can club a quick 50 on this ground but his team will probably need him to take wickets here to get deep into the San Francisco side.
Matt Short has played a decent role for the San Francisco Unicorns so far this season. His batting at the top of the innings has set the game up for the Unicorns and he has bowled well to the opposing lefties which is vital with Nicholas Pooran in the opposition.
Betting
Matt Short has been in good form for the San Francisco Unicorns and I’m a little surprised that his performance line for this match has been chalked up as low as 32.5. He has only bowled twice in the three matches he has played but he is a bowler that I expect to see get a lot more overs the longer the tournament goes on as the pitches here in Dallas tire and I fancy he’ll get some overs here with a couple of the top four for New York being left-handed.
Primarily though, his main form comes with the bat where he has made a couple of 50s so far and looks to be hitting the ball really cleanly. He has covered this line with all three innings he has had so that has to make it a fairly low line but when you consider that he is going to bowl in this match and that he is a decent fielder as well, he isn’t going to be short of scoring options throughout the game. I’ll play the over on that line.
Tips
Back M.Short’s Performance – Over 32.5pts for a 3/10 stake at 1.83 with Bet365
