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DE KOCK AND BOULT POWER MI NEW YORK TO MLC TITLE SUCCESS
Veterans Quinton de Kock and Trent Boult have guided a youthful MI New York to their second Major League Cricket championship title in Dallas on Sunday evening.
De Kock blasted 77 off 46 balls (6x4, 4x6) to form the mainstay of MI New York’s 180/7 before Boult claimed 2/32 to restrict Washington Freedom to 175/5.
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The dynamic left-hander De Kock added 72 for the first wicket with opening partner Monank Patel (28 off 22 balls), who pipped Faf du Plessis as the competition’s leading run-scorer, in just 7.1 overs.
The former Durban’s Super Giants captain maintained the momentum with Tajinder Singh (14) and Nicholas Pooran (21) before a middle-order collapse saw MI New York stopped in their tracks.
Mark Boucher’s team lost three wickets, including De Kock’s, in five balls for the addition of just one run as the Washington Freedom fought their way back into the contest.
MI New York, however, hit back immediately through talisman Boult’s very first ball of the Freedom’s run chase.
The left-arm swing bowler dug one in short which caused Player of the Tournament Mitchell Owen to pull it straight to square leg and be dismissed for a golden duck.
It was not the first time Boult (2/32) had gotten the better of the Australian in a major clash after the Kiwi also sent Owen, who was playing for the Paarl Royals, back to the dugout early in the Betway SA20 Qualifier 1 in Gqeberha last season.
Trent Boult and Mitchell Owen also came up against each other in Betway SA20 Season 3, with Boult coming out on top then too...
Boult’s finals experience shone through with the MI Cape Town pacer also removing the dangerous Andries Gous for a duck to leave the Freedom’s run chase in tatters.
Fellow Kiwis Rachin Ravindra (70 off 41 balls) and Glenn Phillips (48 not out off 34 balls) tried valiantly to lift the Freedom off the canvas, but MI New York held their nerve to close out the match and take the thrilling contest by five runs.
Boult has now won the IPL, Betway SA20, ILT20 and MLC with the Mumbai franchise.
“Great final, the league deserves that. It's a tough place to bowl, good wicket, quality batters and everyone tries to hit sixes these days credit to them (Freedom),” he said.
“They were in the game the whole time and probably one or two hits away from winning it. Credit to the young attack we have got. Tristan (Luus) and Rush (Ugarkar).
“I’m a sprightly 36-year-old, but still learning. I think that’s still part of it.”
TOP SA20-SIGNED PERFORMERS
MVP of the Series: Mitchell Owen (Washington Freedom - 313 runs and 14 wickets)
Most runs: Faf du Plessis (Texas Super Kings - 468 runs) - second overall
Most wickets: Noor Ahmad (Texas Super Kings - 15 wickets) and Trent Boult (MI New York) - joint-third overall
