END OF OVER:
20 | 15 Runs | LAKR: 191/5 (22 runs required, RR: 9.55)

  • Andre Russell42 (26b)
  • Sunil Narine28 (17b)
  • Marcus Stoinis4-0-39-0
  • Haris Rauf4-0-40-1

11:30pm Right. That will be that from us for this game. The MLC takes a day's break as the caravan moves to Morrisville. On Friday, though, the teams will be back at it. LAKR, having lost three, will take on Washington Freedom, who are fresh off a win over the Texas Super Kings. Do join us for that game too. Until next time, this is me (Shashwat) signing off on behalf of Binoy George and everyone else at ESPNcricinfo. Goodbye and take care!

Aaron Finch, San Francisco Unicorns captain: It is a great win. The way we started with the bat and everyone contributed really well. It was tough to defend to the short side but everyone did a good job. When you have guys who bat at the top like Wade and Finn, they are high-risk, high-reward players. The good thing (in our wins) is that when players have gotten in, they have made it big. (On how they keep the momentum going) Keep swinging hard, keep executing. (On bowling plans) Control what you can do (with the ball). If someone is having a day out with the bat, it is tough to stop anyway.

Sunil Narine, Los Angeles Knight Riders captain: (What is going wrong) We started well with the ball but then we let it slipped away. Chasing 200 on this wicket, we needed a good start and we got it. Then, in the middle overs, we let it slip. Maybe 170-180 was par and it would have given us a better chance to chase. The wickets in the middle strangled us a little. (On trying to reset before the next leg) You still have to try to reset. You have to come up with strategies that will hopefully work. It is a good bunch of guys and it is about getting it right. When that happens, you will see the quality in our team.

Matthew Wade, Player of the Match: (On how much did he enjoy batting and if he mishit any shots) I mishit a few, don't worry (smiles). It was a good fun. Nice batting with a few new faces. (On the pitch) It was really good with the new ball. Maybe towards the back end, if you bowled cutters, it was hard work. The pitches here have been really good and been really good to come over here and see good cricket wickets. (Expectations) Obviously you want to get going. But we have talked about adapting to the conditions. We all are pretty relaxed. Anderson has been huge for us down the order. All about getting some momentum and camaraderie in the batting line-up.

Corey Anderson: (On his batting plans) I had a short boundary on one side and that makes it easier to sort out your plans. Wade and Stoinis took the bowlers down and kept us well ahead in the game. I was just trying to provide the icing on the top. We have numerous guys who can bowl in this time. When you have a small boundary, with the line-up they have, it is about getting some overs out of the way. So that was the theory, to get ahead of the game a little. (The advantage of having Haris Rauf in the team) Massive. You know he is going to be a wicket-taker. That is a huge advantage and we can manipulate our overs (with Rauf around).

11:15pm The Knight Riders fall short by 21 runs but to be honest, the result never really seemed in doubt. The only time they threatened to hunt down this score was when Roy came out all guns blazing in the powerplay. LAKR then shot themselves in the foot with their decision-making. Even at the time, sending Nitish at No.3 seemed a questionable call and it was vindicated over the next few overs, with him scratching his way to 31 off 23. Rossouw never got going after his demotion either and that piled up too much pressure on Narine and Russell. Both of them found the fence with regularity but were always playing catch-up.

As for the Unicorns, they put down a whole host of chances, and they were perhaps too accommodative inside the powerplay. Shadab, though, fought back from an expensive first over to bag two wickets. Rauf, Bishnoi and Anderson picked up a wicket apiece as the Unicorns coasted past the finish line.

19.6
0
Stoinis to Russell, no run, excellent yorker to finish off. Unicorns win by 21 runs! Into the blockhole on leg stump. Russell does well to jam his bat but cannot do much with it apart from that. A dot to end this game, and the Unicorns have now won two out of three!
19.5
1
Stoinis to Narine, 1 run, full outside off. Narine drills it back past the bowler and ambles across to the other end
19.4
6
Stoinis to Narine, SIX, six more! Half-tracker outside off and it gets dealt with. Narine walks across his stumps and pummels it flat over wide long on!
19.4
1w
Stoinis to Narine, 1 wide, full and wide outside off. Wide enough for the umpire to indulge in some more exercise
19.3
6
Stoinis to Narine, SIX, clean strike into the sightscreen! Slot ball outside off. Narine sits deep in his crease, has a free swing at it and thumps it over the bowler's head!

Four legal deliveries and the Unicorns will be home...

19.2
1
Stoinis to Russell, 1 run, banged into the track on leg stump. Russell backs away and swats it towards deep mid wicket. Decides to take the single this time
19.1
0
Stoinis to Russell, no run, that has gone to the moon and the Unicorns put it down again, would you believe it?! Cross-seam length delivery on leg. Russell swipes at it and the ball skews off the leading edge. Finch settles under it and barely gets a finger to it

37 needed off 6 now. Stoinis to bowl it. Six sixes and we go into a Super Over...

END OF OVER:
19 | 13 Runs | LAKR: 176/5 (37 runs required from 6 balls, RR: 9.26, RRR: 37.00)

  • Andre Russell41 (23b)
  • Sunil Narine15 (14b)
  • Haris Rauf4-0-40-1
  • Marcus Stoinis3-0-24-0
18.6
1
Haris Rauf to Russell, 1 run, full and wide outside off. Russell tries to go inside out over extra cover but chalks it badly. Plugs in the outfield too as Russell trudges across to retain strike
18.5
6
Haris Rauf to Russell, SIX, watch out, camera guys! Thigh-high full toss outside off stump. Russell opens up his stance and smears it over the bowler's head! Just a 103-metre six!
18.4
0
Haris Rauf to Russell, no run, attempted wide yorker that may have ended up as a low full toss but is still outside Russell's hitting arc. He can only scuff it down to long off
18.3
0
Haris Rauf to Russell, no run, full toss outside off stump. Russell slices it towards deep backward point. Denies the single for the second ball running
18.2
0
Haris Rauf to Russell, no run, full toss outside off stump. Russell has a mighty mow at it and clinks it off the bottom of the bat towards long on. Russell is livid with himself
18.1
6
Haris Rauf to Russell, SIX, that has flown into another zip code altogether! Slot ball on leg stump and guess what happens to those - they go miles! It is a slower one too and Russell absolutely clobbers it. A 108-metre six over deep mid wicket! A 108-metre six over deep mid wicket!

Abhay: "A Knight Rider scored 30 off the last over a few months ago. Surely Russell can take some inspiration right now!" -- For that to culminate in a win, they need at least 20 in this over, which will be bowled by Rauf

END OF OVER:
18 | 10 Runs | LAKR: 163/5 (50 runs required from 12 balls, RR: 9.05, RRR: 25.00)

  • Sunil Narine15 (14b)
  • Andre Russell28 (17b)
  • Marcus Stoinis3-0-24-0
  • Liam Plunkett2-0-27-0
17.6
0
Stoinis to Narine, no run, dropped again! Back of a length way outside off. Narine shuffles across and drags it straight to mid wicket, where it is Finch's turn to grass an opportunity!
17.5
1
Stoinis to Russell, 1 run, right in the blockhole on middle and leg. Russell gets his bat down in time and digs it out into the leg side for one

Russell will be hitting into the wind if he goes leg side

17.4
1
Stoinis to Narine, 1 run, length delivery outside off stump. Narine sits back in his crease, throws his hands at it and flays it away. He is hitting to the longer boundary, though, and has to be content with a single to deep cover
17.3
6
Stoinis to Narine, SIX, right out of the screws! Short and wide outside off stump. Narine has sized this one up early. He fetches it and deposits it over the deep mid wicket fence!
17.2
1
Stoinis to Russell, 1 run, low full toss on the pads. Russell flicks it away towards square leg and sets off for the single. The fielder has a shy at the batter's end and Narine was nowhere in the frame had he hit
17.1
1
Stoinis to Narine, 1 run, short and wide outside off. Narine flat-bats it down the ground for a single

21 runs came off that over and that was just about par for the course. Tells you how steep this run-chase has become for LAKR. Stoinis to continue

END OF OVER:
17 | 21 Runs | LAKR: 153/5 (60 runs required from 18 balls, RR: 9.00, RRR: 20.00)

  • Andre Russell26 (15b)
  • Sunil Narine7 (10b)
  • Liam Plunkett2-0-27-0
  • Marcus Stoinis2-0-14-0
16.6
4lb
Plunkett to Russell, 4 leg byes, gets pinned on the helmet, and it trickles away for four! Dug into the track on off stump and this gets big on Russell. He has a swipe at it anyway and is early into the stroke. The ball thuds into the helmet and then bobbles away past short third man

17 off the over already

16.5
6
Plunkett to Russell, SIX, six more! Attempts to get it into the blockhole but it ends up a tad short. Russell, sitting deep in his crease, gets under it and clobbers it flat over long on!
16.4
0
Plunkett to Russell, no run, length delivery outside off. Russell does not pick the slower one and swings for the hills. Deceived completely by the lack of pace
16.3
4
Plunkett to Russell, FOUR, four more! Short, wide and begging to be hit. Russell sits deep in his crease and batters it over point!

Major League Cricket News

Los Angeles 2nd innings Partnerships

WktRunsPlayers
1st55JJ RoyUBT Chand
2nd16NR KumarUBT Chand
3rd32RR RossouwNR Kumar
4th10RR RossouwJS Malhotra
5th3AD RussellJS Malhotra
6th75SP NarineAD Russell