Xplorich
Kieron Pollard held his nerve in a tense final over as MI New York edged past Seattle Orcas by five runs in a low-scoring thriller in Major League Cricket 2026 on Thursday.Defending a modest total of 132, MI New York survived a late scare to register a crucial victory after Marcus Stoinis and Jasdeep Singh threatened to pull off an improbable chase for the Orcas.Earlier, Quinton de Kock anchored MI New York’s innings with a composed 61 off 46 balls, hitting six fours and two sixes. However, despite a strong start, MI New York struggled to maintain momentum in the latter half of their innings, managing only 132/8 from their 20 overs.After Monank Patel departed without scoring, de Kock and captain Nicholas Pooran steadied the innings with a 47-run partnership. Tajinder Dhillon chipped in with a useful 23, but Seattle’s bowlers fought back brilliantly. Marcus Stoinis led the charge with figures of 3/14, while Ottneil Baartman and Jasdeep Singh claimed two wickets apiece to restrict MI New York.In reply, Seattle Orcas never found any rhythm. Trent Boult struck early by dismissing Shayan Jahangir, while Corbin Bosch removed Matthew Breetzke as the Orcas slipped to 14/2.Romario Shepherd then produced a match-winning spell, claiming 3/16, including the wickets of Tim Seifert, Shehan Jayasuriya and Shimron Hetmyer.With wickets falling regularly, Stoinis emerged as Seattle’s lone fighter, scoring a determined 36 off 31 balls. However, the required rate continued to climb.The contest took a dramatic turn in the penultimate over when Jasdeep Singh smashed Boult for two fours and a six, leaving Seattle needing 14 runs from the final over. Stoinis raised hopes by launching Pollard’s first delivery for six, but the veteran all-rounder had the final say. Romario Shepherd held a sharp catch to dismiss Stoinis before Pollard closed out the game calmly, sparking jubilant celebrations among the MI New York players.
