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San Francisco Unicorns etched their name in MLC 2025 history on June 25, 2025, becoming the first team to qualify for the playoffs with a commanding 32-run victory over the winless Seattle Orcas at Grand Prairie Stadium. With an entire Florida leg still to be played starting next week, the Unicorns' early qualification is a testament to their utter dominance in this year's competition.

The Dallas faithful witnessed a masterclass in all-round cricket that proved why the Unicorns remain the team to beat in MLC 2025. Their sixth consecutive victory not only maintained their perfect record but also guaranteed them a spot in the knockout stages with games to spare – a remarkable achievement in such a competitive tournament.

Seattle Orcas won the toss and elected to bowl first, desperately seeking their first victory of the campaign. Instead, they ran headfirst into a Matthew Short special that would leave them shell-shocked.

The Unicorns captain led from the front with a scorching 52 off just 29 balls, peppering the boundary with seven fours and two maximums at a strike rate of 179.31. His assault set the tone before Romario Shepherd took center stage with an explosive 56 off 31 deliveries. The Barbadian all-rounder's four towering sixes had the Grand Prairie crowd on their feet, with one particular blow clearing the sight screen by a country mile.

Jake Fraser-McGurk chipped in with a quickfire 34 off 21 balls, while the usually prolific Finn Allen fell cheaply for just 4. Despite the early setback, San Francisco posted a formidable 176/8, with Harmeet Singh emerging as Seattle's unlikely hero with figures of 3/22.

Chasing 177, Seattle Orcas started like a house on fire. Shayan Jahangir blazed his way to 40 off 22 balls, mixing elegant drives with audacious scoops that had the crowd buzzing. At 66/0 after 6.5 overs, an upset was brewing in Dallas.

Then came the collapse.

In a devastating spell of bowling, Matthew Short turned from batting hero to bowling magician, claiming 3 wickets for a miserly 12 runs. The Orcas crumbled from 66/0 to 67/4 in the space of 11 deliveries, with David Warner (23), Kyle Mayers (0), and Heinrich Klaasen (7) all falling in quick succession.

Haris Rauf delivered the knockout punch with a brilliant 4/32, systematically dismantling Seattle's middle and lower order. Shimron Hetmyer's counter-attacking 30 off 16 balls briefly threatened a comeback, but once he fell, the writing was on the wall. Seattle limped to 144 all out in 18.2 overs.

POST-MATCH REACTIONS

Speaking after the match, San Francisco captain Matthew Short was delighted to learn his team had already qualified for the playoffs. "First time I've heard that. So thanks for that," Short said with a smile. Despite the convincing win, Short acknowledged his team wasn't at their absolute best. "The last few games we've played probably to our best ability, but tonight we're probably a little bit off. We lacked a little bit of building those partnerships." He credited Shepherd's late hitting and the bowlers' resilience for securing the victory, before revealing his immediate plans: "Got to sponsor golf day tomorrow, and then into live golf on Friday. So yeah, plenty of golf."

Player of the Match Romario Shepherd revealed the simple approach that yielded such devastating results. "The coach just told us to hold a bit, because we have a lot of overs remaining. Me and Hamilton built a partnership there at the end," Shepherd explained. When asked about his batting, the all-rounder's eyes lit up: "Yeah, I love batting. Hitting sixes. That's the best part about batting for me." He credited the team environment for their success, noting, "The coaches are in control of everything. I'm not surprised the way the result is coming out from the field because the way we train is the way we play."

For Seattle Orcas captain Heinrich Klaasen, the defeat was bitter but not without hope. "We were quite happy with that. Maybe 10-20 runs too much, but we were quite happy to chase that down," Klaasen reflected. He praised newcomer Shayan Jahangir, saying, "He's brilliant. He's quite aggressive, the type of guy that we want at the top of the order." Despite sitting at 0-5, Klaasen maintained playoff hopes: "We're still very much in it to get to the Playoffs. There are still four or five games there for us, and hopefully four games can put us close by."

This historic victory extended San Francisco Unicorns' perfect record to six wins from six games, making them the first team to secure their playoff berth with the entire Florida leg still to come. Their early qualification is unprecedented in MLC history and sends a clear message to the rest of the competition.

For Seattle Orcas, the mathematical possibility of playoffs remains, but their winless streak continues to cast a dark shadow over their campaign as they prepare for the move to Florida next week.

The Grand Prairie massacre showcased the gulf in class between the league's best and worst, with San Francisco Unicorns continuing their relentless march toward what increasingly looks like an inevitable MLC glory.

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