Xavier Bartlett came in at No. 8 for the San Francisco Unicorns when the team was struggling at 108 for 6 in 12.2 overs, still trailing by 74 runs. Before this match, Bartlett had a modest T20 batting average of 14.10 and a strike rate of 108.50. However, he turned the game on its head with a stunning unbeaten 59 off just 25 balls, including four fours and five sixes, against a strong bowling lineup featuring Trent Boult, Naveen-ul-Haq, Michael Bracewell, and Ehsan Adil. This powerful innings helped the Unicorns snatch a thrilling three-wicket win, maintaining their perfect record of three wins in MLC 2025 and solidifying their lead at the top of the points table.
Bartlett’s late blitz seals the deal
Chasing 183, the Unicorns lost early wickets including Finn Allen in the second over, followed by Jake Fraser-McGurk and Sanjay Krishnamurthi shortly after. At the end of the powerplay, they were 42 for 4, with MI New York clearly in control and on course for their first win of the season.
But then Hassan Khan (43 off 17 balls) joined Tim Seifert in a 64-run partnership that revived the chase. Still, the match was finely balanced until Bartlett’s explosive cameo turned the tide.
𝑨𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉, 𝑩𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒕 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅, “𝑰 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒎𝒚𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒚 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒍𝒚 — 𝒍𝒖𝒄𝒌𝒊𝒍𝒚, 𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒇𝒂𝒗𝒐𝒓.”
Earlier, MI New York had relied heavily on Quinton de Kock’s 63 off 38 balls and cameos from Kieron Pollard and Sunny Patel to set a competitive total. Pollard’s four sixes in a single over and Patel’s unbeaten 20 helped push the score to 182 for 7, but Bartlett’s late blitz ensured the Unicorns had the final say.
Also Read: Middlesex and Hampshire Play Out Thrilling Tie Despite Rain Drama