Last-ball mayhem! Shimron Hetmyer stuns Kieron Pollard with a six, Seattle Orcas pull off record MLC chase

Time of India

17 hours ago

produced a breathtaking knock to power the Seattle Orcas to their first win of the 2025 Major League Cricket (MLC) season, sealing a dramatic three-wicket victory over MI New York with a last-ball six.
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Chasing a mammoth 238 — the highest successful run chase in MLC history — Hetmyer held his nerve under immense pressure and launched
over the ropes to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
Earlier, MI New York had posted an imposing 237/4, driven by a commanding innings from captain Nicholas Pooran, who blasted an unbeaten 108 off just 60 deliveries, including 7 fours and 8 sixes. He found a strong ally in Tajinder Dhillon, who hammered a blazing 95 off just 35 balls.
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Despite the carnage, the Orcas managed to take some control through Gerald Coetzee and Kyle Mayers, both of whom claimed two wickets each to stem the flow.
In reply, Seattle's innings got off to a stuttering start, with Josh Brown and Shayan Jahangir dismissed inside the powerplay.
But Kyle Mayers (37 off 20) and captain Sikandar Raza (30 off 9) launched a quick counterattack to bring the chase back on track. Momentum swung again as Heinrich Klaasen chipped in with a brisk 26 off 13 balls before falling to debutant Rushil Ugarkar.
That set the stage for Hetmyer's heroics.
With the required rate climbing and wickets tumbling, Hetmyer went into overdrive. He smashed an unbeaten 97 off just 40 deliveries, peppering the boundary with 5 fours and launching 9 towering sixes — finishing with an extraordinary strike rate of 242.50.
As the game boiled down to the final ball, with five needed for victory, Hetmyer rose to the occasion. Facing MI New York skipper Kieron Pollard, Hetmyer stayed low, got inside the line of the delivery, and flick-whipped it over fine leg for what may go down as the most valuable six of his T20 career — sparking wild celebrations in the Seattle camp.
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"This one is one of the best, because our backs were against the wall and I'm still grimacing over the last game where we couldn't cross the line," Hetmyer, who was named Player of the Match, said after the game.
"Today is one of those days, where I went with a clear mind and wanted to take the game as deep as possible. That (injury) actually gave me a little bit of help, because I didn't want to run much," he added.