Heinrich Klassen’s men began their third clash with a reshuffled side in hopes of discovering a balanced and winning combination that would set the tone for the rest of the tournament. David Warner and Shayan Jahangir walked out to bat on a tricky pitch that was expected to slow down throughout the night. Both batsmen have offered glimpses of their abilities thus far, but it would be Jahangir who dominated early proceedings after a mistimed reverse sweep saw Warner dismissed for 4 (7).

Despite sparks of early aggression, Aaron Jones departed at the end of the 6th over as Naveen Ul-Haq picked up his first of the night with a slower wide delivery, catching the outside edge of the American batsman. With frustration growing in the Seattle Orcas camp, out stepped Kyle Mayers.

Mayers and Jahangir’s steady partnership allowed the Seattle Orcas to gain a foothold in the innings, reaching 72-2 after 11. Jahangir controlled the partnership’s tempo with grace, picking out loose balls with timing and control, a theme of the Seattle Orcas’ calculated aggression on the night. His valuable stability and assertive yet measured 43 (34) laid the foundation for the eventual onslaught from the middle order.

On the other end, Mayers was quick to rotate strike and maintain a steady run rate with hints of his explosive batting prowess. After Jahangir’s dismissal, the West Indian took center stage, tearing apart Naveen-ul-Haq 15th over with two sixes and four.

An air of anticipation loomed across the Coliseum as the Seattle Orcas’ captain followed suit with his trademark power-hitting, reaching 21 (9) at the end of the 17th over. Ul-Haq returned to close out the innings but was no match for Mayers' relentless assault. The big man from Barbados, who only made his T20I debut five years ago, cleared the fence four times against the Afghan quick, finishing with 88 (46) on the night. A mammoth 24 runs of the 18th put the Seattle Orcas in pole position as quick-fire camos from Klassen 27 (11) and Shimron Hetmyer 29 (9) set a target of 201 for MI New York.

With the picturesque floodlights gleaming into the Oakland sky, Monank Patel and Quinton de Kock walked out to bat. The opening pair looked in good touch, picking the Seattle Orcas’ bowlers well and posting 25-0 after 4. Sikandar Raza provided the breakthrough with a classic off-spinner, straightening into de Kock’s pads for LBW.

Michael Bracewell joined Patel at the crease for the start of an incredible partnership infused with dynamic strokes from both men. The pair seemed unfazed by the Seattle Orcas' attack, posting a record-breaking 119 partnership before Patel was dismissed for a record-breaking 93 (50), the highest total from a domestic player in MLC history. With the eventual man of the match back in the sheds, the game was poised for a nail-biting end.

Captain Nicholas Pooran was next but failed to gather rhythm after an early six and was cleaned up by Raza for 7(6). With the game firmly in the balance, Bracewell took charge with back-to-back sixes against Kyle Mayers, as the West Indian conceded 19 runs in the 18th.

On top of what had already been a poor night in the field for the Seattle Orcas, a misfield from Harmeet Singh all but secured the chase for New York. Veteran Kieron Pollard made no mistake in sealing his side’s first victory of the season with a top-edge six, capping off the first phase of the MLC as the Seattle Orcas head to Dallas for the second leg.

- Written by Bharat Singh.