Lhuan-dre Pretorius slams maiden T20 century as San Francisco Unicorns thrash MI New York by nine wickets

Table of Contents

San Francisco Unicorns (SFU) continued their outstanding run in Major League Cricket (MLC) 2026 with a dominant nine-wicket victory over MI New York (MINY) in the 23rd match of the tournament at Grand Prairie Stadium, Dallas. After producing a disciplined bowling display to restrict MI New York to a below-par total, the table-toppers made light work of the chase, thanks to a sensational unbeaten century from Lhuan-dre Pretorius.

The left-handed opener played one of the finest knocks of the season, finishing unbeaten on 102 off just 52 deliveries as the Unicorns chased down the target of 144 in only 15.4 overs.

Asked to bat first, MI New York made a brisk start with Ryan Rickelton taking the attack to the bowlers. However, San Francisco Unicorns captain Matthew Short turned the contest in his side’s favour with a brilliant spell. Short struck in three successive overs, removing Quinton de Kock, Monank Patel and Rickelton to leave MI New York reeling at 56/3. Rickelton top-scored with 35 off 21 balls, while Sunny Patel contributed 32 from 23 deliveries.

Nicholas Pooran and Kieron Pollard attempted to rebuild the innings before Anirudh Immanuel dismissed Pollard. Pooran also failed to convert his start, leaving MI New York under pressure once again. A useful 43-run partnership between Patel and Corey Anderson helped the former champions recover slightly, but San Francisco’s bowlers kept striking at regular intervals to restrict them to 143/9 in 20 overs.

Short finished as the pick of the bowlers with figures of 3/24, while Aaron Hardie (2/17) and Haris Rauf (2/24) provided excellent support.

Also READ: Zimbabwe announce squad for Bangladesh T20Is as Newman Nyamhuri earns maiden call-up

Chasing 144, Pretorius wasted no time putting MI New York’s bowlers under pressure. He welcomed Trent Boult with boundaries and a six in the opening over as San Francisco raced to 52 without loss inside the Powerplay. Although Finn Allen departed for 20, Pretorius continued to dominate the chase. He brought up his maiden T20 half-century in just 30 balls before accelerating further in the closing stages.

With the Unicorns needing only 28 runs and Pretorius requiring 25 for his hundred, the opener produced another explosive burst. He hammered four boundaries in one over off Boult before taking on Rushil Ugarkar to complete both the victory and his maiden T20 century in style. Pretorius remained unbeaten on 102 from just 52 balls, an innings featuring ten fours and five towering sixes. He sealed both the win and his century with a boundary as San Francisco Unicorns reached 146/1 in just 15.4 overs, completing a comprehensive nine-wicket victory with 26 balls remaining.

What a chase from San Francisco Unicorns 🙌✨#MLC2026 #LhuandrePretorius

— CricketTimes.com (@CricketTimesHQ) July 9, 2026

Also READ: Wasim Jaffer explains why Sanju Samson should not bat in the middle order for India