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San Francisco Unicorns (SFU) opener Finn Allen smashed five consecutive sixes, spread out across two overs, to bolster his side's run chase against the Los Angeles Knight Riders (LAKR) in the fourth match of the 2024 Major League Cricket (MLC). The Kiwi batter scored a match-winning fifty at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas, Texas, on Sunday, July 7.
Allen opened the innings alongside Jake Fraser-McGurk to tackle the 166-run target set by the LAKR. The new-ball bowlers kept things tight on a two-paced surface, leading to Fraser-McGurk's early departure. SFU were placed at 32-1 after 4.3 overs, and with the powerplay coming to an end, Allen decided to switch gears.
The right-handed batter hit a four off Andre Russell's fourth delivery to get things going, before smashing twin sixes to end the over. After getting the strike back in the second delivery of the last powerplay over, Allen smashed three consecutive sixes off Shakib Al Hasan, to make it five in a row in his innings.
Struggling at less than run-a-ball at one stage, Allen's acceleration saw him propel to 48 runs off 21 deliveries in no time. Have a look at the batter's carnage against Russell right here.
Finn Allen ended up with 63 runs off 37 deliveries before being dismissed in the 13th over. However, with the score already reading 137 by then, the opener had taken his side to the brink of victory.
"We are joking in the change room as to who can hit the biggest sixes" - Matt Short on playing with Finn Allen and Jake Fraser-McGurk
Courtesy of Finn Allen and the mammoth second-wicket partnership he shared with Matt Short, SFU emerged winners by a comfortable margin of six wickets. They chased down the score with more than four overs to spare as Allen was adjudged Player of the Match.
"It was good. Probably took a bit long to figure out the pace of the wicket. Me and Jake went too hard early. The way Shorty came out and took pressure off me was good," Allen said during the post-match presentation
"We are joking in the change room as to who can hit the biggest sixes. I think the pitch got better to bat on under lights, probably dew played a part as well. This tournament has a lot of good players," Matt Short said after SFU's win
SFU will next take on the Texas Super Kings in Morrisville on Wednesday, July 10.
