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From winning just two matches in Major League Cricket (MLC) 2023 and not even making it to the Qualifiers, to losing just one game from six and becoming the second team to qualify in 2024, San Francisco Unicorns have come a long way.
This year, the Men in Orange are breezing past sides and looking the part in doing so. They haven't had too many bad games and more importantly, have found new and excellent heroes to put them out of trouble in tough situations.
Their 15-over chase against last year's runners-up Seattle Orcas on Sunday made them look like the favorites to go all the way. Here are three reasons why they can taste success this season:
#3 The Unicorns have the best opening combination in the tournament
Pedigree and numbers-wise, the Unicorns' Finn Allen and Matthew Short are the best opening pair in MLC 2024. They have scored 186 and 170 runs, respectively, in the tournament after five innings to be the fifth and seventh-highest run-scorers overall.
The only other comparable pair is table-toppers Washington Freedom's Travis Head (194 runs) and Steven Smith (191) but the Aussies have played an innings extra.
Allen and Short have consistently given the Unicorns brilliant starts at the top of the order. The best thing about them is that neither cares for anchoring the innings -- they start attacking from the first over and don't stop until they get out.
MLC requires you to have a solid opening pair to maximize the powerplay. Allen strikes at 217 (the best in 2024) and Short at 158 which is much better than Head (177) and Smith (138).
Both Unicorns and Freedom are over-reliant on the top two. Their middle-orders have done well in games where the openers haven't fired but that hasn't happened a lot which leaves a gap for the Qualifiers.
However, like they showed against the Orcas on Sunday, Unicorns are slightly superior in killing games in the powerplay which would put them in great stead for the upcoming high-pressure games.
#2 Bowling range like no other team
The thing that sets the Unicorns apart from other teams in MLC 2024 is their range of bowling options. Against the Orcas, they used seven bowlers and had another option in Sherfane Rutherford unused.
The seven included skipper Corey Anderson finishing an over in which pacer Brody Couch couldn't compete due to injury but he took a crucial wicket on just the second ball he bowled. In another example, their best bowler on the day, Hassan Khan, needed to bowl just two overs and he took three wickets.
It helps that Short gives them four overs anywhere in the innings without conceding too many runs. Even a few injuries haven't affected them because the bowlers coming in have done equally well - a testament to the bench strength built on bowling solidity.
The addition of Pat Cummins has made them unbelievably strong because he refuses to give away runs in the death overs. He and Hassan make sure that having this much bowling flexibility doesn't compromise their batting depth, which, when in action, is an admirable balance to watch.
#1 USA locals firing better than most teams
The biggest issue in MLC for most teams has been the drop in quality from star overseas players to local USA players. It's mandatory to play five of the latter but they are still quite inexperienced cricketers and usually struggle to manage the pace of the game that their teammates are used to.
In most teams, they become weaknesses and need to be managed. MI New York's struggle in this season is a prime example of it.
However, at the Unicorns, the USA players are a major strength of the side. Their captain himself - Anderson - is a USA international and has been leading the team superbly, while offering more than enough with both the bat and the ball.
Against the Orcas, the four bowlers that took wickets - Anderson, Hassan, Crouch and Carmi le Roux - are USA players. The fifth, Sanjay Krishnamurthi, is a 21-year-old batter who has done decently at number three as well.
Their impact is seen in how freely the overseas players can express themselves without worrying about playing for the weaklinks too. This makes them extremely robust ahead of the big nights.
