What Is Major League Cricket
Major League Cricket, often referred to as MLC, is a recently established professional franchise T20 League in the United States operated by American Cricket Enterprises and sanctioned by USA Cricket. It comprises six franchises which represent major US cities and is home to many stars of the USA cricket team.
When Is Major League Cricket played?
The first Major League Cricket edition began in July 2023, with MLC scheduled to be an annual league.
History Of Major League Cricket
After various and largely unsuccessful attempts to establish a T20 cricket league in the United States it was announced in November 2022 the first Major League Cricket edition would be staged in July the following year. The first winners of the inaugural MLC competition were MI New York.
Top Run Scorer In Major League Cricket History
West Indies cricket team player Nicolas Pooran scored an impressive 388 runs in just eight Major League Cricket matches for tournament winners MI New York at an average of 64.66.
Top Wicket Taker In Major League Cricket History
New Zealand national cricket team left arm seamer Trent Boult took 22 wickets in eight matches for MI New York as they won the first Major League Cricket outing, his haul was double what any other bowler achieved.
Memorable Games From Major League Cricket
The inaugural final of Major League Cricket between Seattle Orcas and MI New York was dominated by a remarkable display of clean hitting by Nicolas Pooran. South Africa national cricket team player Quinton de Kock led the way for Seattle making 87 from 52 balls as they scored a competitive 183 for 9 from their overs. Trent Boult’s 3 for 34 helped stem the run rate but the pivotal spell came from Afghanistan national cricket team star Rashid Khan who returned the quite outstanding figures of 3 for 9 in four overs, a run rate of just 2.25, crucial in the context of the match. New York’s reply started with Steven Taylor being bowled third ball of the innings for a duck which brought Pooran to the crease. He was magnificent from the outset hitting a quite brilliant 137 not out in just 55 deliveries. He cleared the rope on 13 occasions as his team chased down the score with a full four overs to spare to secure the MLC win.
The first match in the highly anticipated Major League Cricket was between Texas Super Kings and Los Angeles Knight Riders in Texas. Devon Conway and David Miller hit half centuries as Texas totaled 181 for 6. In reply Los Angeles got off to a disastrous start by the end of the second over they had lost three wickets for just 7 runs with key players Martin Guptill and Rilee Rossouw dismissed. Only Andre Russell threatened to turn the tide as he hit 55 off 34 balls but he lacked support from the other end his team were all out for 112 to fall to a heavy 69 run defeat. Pakistan national cricket team spinner Mohammad Moshin took 4 for 8.
Similar Competitions To Major League Cricket
The Caribbean Premier League, The PSL and The IPL are also franchise T20 leagues similar to Major League Cricket. Those interested in MLC may also want to check out those sections.
