SHIMRON Hetmyer’s golden run of form continued in brilliant fashion as the West Indies left-hander lit up Central Broward Regional Park with an unbeaten 78 to guide the Seattle Orcas to a four-wicket victory over the San Francisco Unicorns in an entertaining Major League Cricket (MLC) showdown on Tuesday night.

Chasing a competitive 169 for victory, the Orcas found themselves under early pressure, but Hetmyer turned the tide with a blistering 37-ball knock laced with four fours and seven sixes to seal the win with three balls to spare. His performance earned him another Player of the Match award and kept the Orcas playoff hopes alive with their third win in a row.

From the outset, the Orcas chase was wobbly. Steven Taylor fell for a 10-ball duck, and Kyle Mayers could only manage three as Seattle slumped to 18-2 inside five overs. Captain Sikandar Raza (11) and opener Shayan Jahangir, who slammed three fours and two sixes in his 27-ball 36, steadied the innings somewhat, but when both fell in quick succession, it left the Orcas teetering at 56-4

That was when Hetmyer took charge. With calculated aggression and impeccable shot selection, the 28-year-old carved up the Unicorns bowling attack and brought the required run rate down with each passing over. His 78 came at a staggering strike rate of 210.81 and anchored the back half of the innings even as wickets continued to fall around him.
Aaron Jones (14), Heinrich Klaasen (five), and Gerald Coetzee, with an unbeaten seven, offered valuable support late in the innings, but it was Hetmyer who dominated proceedings to get the job done. Xavier Bartlett (2-24) was the pick of the Unicorns bowlers.

Earlier, the Unicorns had posted what initially seemed a competitive total on the back of steady contributions throughout the order. Jake Fraser-McGurk, with 35 off 22, and Sanjay Krishnamurthi, who struck 41 off 28, played enterprising hands in the middle overs, while Tim Seifert’s patient 31 anchored the back end of the innings.

A late blitz from Romario Shepherd, who slammed an unbeaten 13 off three balls, gave the Unicorns a final push beyond 160. Ayan Desai (2-32) led the Orcas bowling.

With the result, the Orcas moved to six points and into fourth place as they continued a remarkable turnaround after losing their first five games of the season. Meanwhile, the Unicorns remain top of the table on 12 points, though the loss exposed some vulnerabilities heading into the business end of the tournament. (Sportsmax)