NEW DELHI: Lhuan-dre Pretorius smashed his maiden T20 century to power San Francisco Unicorns to a dominant nine-wicket win over MI New York in the Major League Cricket (MLC) 2026 at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas on Thursday.Chasing a modest target of 144, the young South African wicketkeeper-batter remained unbeaten on 102 off just 52 balls, hitting 10 fours and five sixes. He reached his maiden T20 hundred at a strike rate of 196.15 and guided the Unicorns home in just 15.4 overs. Pretorius was adjudged Player of the Match.The massive victory helped San Francisco Unicorns move to the top of the points table. They now have five wins and three defeats from eight matches, with 10 points and a net run rate of +0.590.MI New York, meanwhile, slipped to third place. They have four wins and four losses from eight matches, with eight points and a net run rate of -0.208.
Pretorius powers easy chase
San Francisco got off to a flying start with Pretorius and Finn Allen adding 52 runs for the opening wicket.Allen scored 20 off 17 balls, including three fours, before he was dismissed by Romario Shepherd.Pretorius, however, continued to dominate the MI New York bowlers. He found support from captain Matthew Short, who remained unbeaten on 19 off 25 balls, as the pair stitched together an unbroken 94-run stand for the second wicket.Pretorius finished the chase in style with his first T20 century, ensuring the Unicorns reached 146/1 with 26 balls to spare.
Pretorius delighted after maiden T20 hundred
After receiving the Player of the Match award, Pretorius admitted that reaching three figures was on his mind, having fallen short twice before.“Well, firstly on my mind was getting the team over the line and winning the game, but I would be lying if I said the 100 didn’t play in the back of my mind because I’ve fallen short a couple times. But yeah, it was good fun and I’m really happy we got the win.”“We (Pretorius and captain Matthew Short) just joked about it, no, actually. We didn’t really talk about it at all. But at the back of my mind I really wanted the 100. But the most important part was to get the team over the line and I’m glad we could do it. And yeah, I’m a believer if it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be, and luckily it was meant to be tonight.”Pretorius also praised the atmosphere within the Unicorns camp.“Yeah, really good. It’s one of the best environments I’ve played cricket in. I haven’t played in a lot of teams yet, but yeah, it’s one of the best environments, if not the best, I’ve been a part of. And yeah, I’m really grateful to be here. It’s so much fun.”“I was actually using Finn’s (Finn Allen) bat. I think if I used my own bat I wouldn’t be able to hit those big sixes. I’ll ask him now nicely if I can have the bat and keep it in my bag (smiles).”
Matt Short, Hardie shine with the ball
Earlier, San Francisco Unicorns produced a disciplined bowling effort to restrict MI New York to 143/9 in their 20 overs.Ryan Rickelton top-scored with 35 off 21 balls, while Sunny Patel made 32 off 23. Captain Nicholas Pooran struggled for 19 from 24 balls, and Kieron Pollard managed 16 off 13.Captain Matthew Short led from the front with the ball, picking up 3/24 in four overs. Aaron Hardie claimed 2/17, while Haris Rauf also took two wickets. Brody Couch and Anirudh Immanuel chipped in with one wicket each.
