Seattle Orcas (SO) delivered a stunning finale to claim a narrow nine-run victory over Texas Super Kings (TSK) in a low-scoring thriller at the Major League Cricket (MLC) 2026, thanks to Dasun Shanaka’s sensational final-over heroics where he took four wickets in four deliveries.
Chasing down 122 runs, Texas looked poised for victory requiring just 11 runs from the final five balls. The tide turned dramatically when Shanaka dismantled the Texas batting lineup in spectacular fashion. After conceding a boundary to Shubham Ranjane on the first delivery, Shanaka regrouped to dismiss Donovan Ferreira with a brilliant slower delivery, then trapped Calvin Savage at long-on. In a remarkable turn, he induced a mistimed shot from Adam Milne that resulted in an edge behind, and completed his four-wicket spell by having Silva caught deep by Shimron Hetmyer.
The victory was built on disciplined bowling performances throughout the match. Ottneil Baartman led the charge with figures of 3/9 from four overs, removing key batsmen Faf du Plessis and Saiteja Mukkamalla early. Despite a strong unbeaten 40 from Shubham Ranjane, Texas couldn’t capitalize on their advantageous position as Shanaka’s clinical finishing secured Seattle’s dramatic triumph.
Seattle’s batting effort, anchored by Cameron Gannon’s 20 and resilient lower-order contributions, yielded 121/9 after a shaky start. The team recovered from 15/3 through effective bowling from Milne and Wian Mulder, with the lower-order adding crucial runs in the final stages.
What a win for Seattle Orcas
– Dasun Shanaka’s 20th over was just masterclass #MLC2026 #DasunShanaka pic.twitter.com/mJ9ICpHuQP
— CricketTimes.com (@CricketTimesHQ) July 6, 2026