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Corey Anderson of the San Francisco Unicorns exhibited his exceptional fielding prowess during their clash with the Texas Super Kings in Major League Cricket 2024. His highlight moment came with a breathtaking catch to dismiss Faf du Plessis in the Challenger match of the ongoing T20 tournament.
The San Francisco Unicorns set a commanding total of 200/6 in their allotted 20 overs against the Texas Super Kings. This pivotal knockout match unfolded at Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas on Saturday, July 27 (IST). Opener Finn Allen showcased a stellar performance, scoring a dazzling century with 101 runs off just 53 deliveries, which included nine boundaries and five maximums.
Contributions also came from Josh Inglis, who scored a brisk 37 runs from 25 balls, and Hassan Khan, who added a quickfire 27 off 15 deliveries. Notably, left-arm wrist spinner Noor Ahmad shone with the ball for the Super Kings, claiming three wickets for 27 runs. The challenge for the Faf du Plessis-led side was to chase down the target to secure a spot in the final of the Major League Cricket.
Watch – Corey Anderson takes sensational catch to dismiss Faf du Plessis.
Faf du Plessis and Devon Conway launched the team with a blazing start, accumulating 50 runs in just 4 overs. Du Plessis exhibited his prowess with a rapid-fire 45 runs off 22 deliveries, featuring seven boundaries and a six. However, the TSK captain’s innings came to an end with a spectacular one-handed catch by Corey Anderson in the fifth over.
Facing pacer Carmi le Roux, the right-handed batsman mistimed a shot. Anderson, stationed at mid-off, executed a perfectly timed leap, securing a stunning catch with his left hand. This pivotal dismissal saw the Super Kings lose their first wicket with the score at 55 runs in 4.2 overs during the recent MLC encounter.
Devd Conway played a blistering innings, scoring 62 runs off 38 balls, while Joshua Trump contributed with a solid 56 off 36 deliveries, both remaining unbeaten during the run chase. Despite their valiant efforts, the Texas Super Kings fell short, losing the match by a narrow margin of just 10 runs.
San Francisco Unicorns captain Corey Anderson attributed their victory to key moments, highlighting Juanoy Drysdale’s impactful performance and his own exceptional catch. Anderson emphasized that his crucial dismissal of Faf du Plessis played a pivotal role in breaking the Texas Super Kings’ momentum during the match.
“I thought they kept going (TSK batters), but we kept hanging in and we had runs on the board. He was incredible tonight, won us the moments in the middle (on Drysdale), was a bit underdone coming into the tournament, but has got better with games. It was moments like that which will help us going further (on his one-handed catch), Faf has been playing well right through the tournament, so that catch helped us to stall some of the momentum away from them,” Anderson said.
The San Francisco Unicorns are set to take on the Washington Freedom in the final showdown at Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas on Monday, July 29 (IST).
