In the Major League Cricket (MLC) 2023 final held at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas on Sunday, Nicholas Pooran, the stand-in captain for MI New York, displayed an aggressive performance, smashing a remarkable 40-ball century against the Seattle Orcas.
Pooran entered the crease at number three after opener Steven Taylor got out for a three-ball duck while chasing a target of 184 runs for the inaugural MLC title. He wasted no time and quickly reached a half-century in just 16 balls, followed by an impressive display of powerful sixes.
Pooran’s exceptional innings made him the second player to score a century in the tournament. With an outstanding display of batting, Pooran remained unbeaten on 137 runs from just 55 deliveries in the T20 match.
His incredible innings included a total of 13 sixes and 10 fours, securing the second-highest score by a captain batting second in T20 cricket. Following Kieron Pollard’s injury, the 27-year-old assumed leadership responsibilities for the team during the tournament.
3 SIXES TO END THE LAST OVER OF THE POWERPLAY!
— Major League Cricket (@MLCricket) July 31, 2023
THIS IS SOMETHING SPECIAL, NICKY P!💙🥶🫡
8⃣0⃣/2⃣ (6.0) pic.twitter.com/pGRwHNz0nT
The winning moment of MI New York.
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) July 31, 2023
The GOAT franchise – MI.pic.twitter.com/euhcLY1r5h
Pooran’s century ranks as the third-fastest by a West Indian in T20 cricket. Only Chris Gayle’s 30-ball hundred for Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2013 and Johnson Charles’ 39-ball ton for West Indies earlier that year in South Africa were quicker.
