Seattle Orcas v San Francisco Unicorns MLC tips: Another runfest in Florida?

• Orcas eye play-offs after major reshuffle

• Mott sacked, Warner axed

• Lauderhill pitch one to watch

• This could be a surface for the bowlers

• Raza eyecatching at 17/29.50

• Read second Test player tips HERE

Seattle Orcas v San Francisco Unicorns 
Wednesday 2 July, 01:00
TV: Live on Willow

Seattle Orcas v San Francisco Unicorns MLC team news

Orcas are back in the hunt. After losing their first five they are now in the play-off spots with two consecutive wins. It has taken a major reshuffle with coach Matthew Mott sacked, David Warner dropped and Heinrich Klaasen stepping down from the captaincy. 

Sikandar Raza is now leading. He has perhaps been fortunate that Shimron Hetmyer has produced two superb individual innings to get them over the line. Renegades opener Josh Brown has joined up. We would prefer Gerald Coetzee to Kyle Mayers for balance.

Possible Orcas XI:  Brown, Jahangir, Jones, Klaasen, Hetmyer, Raza, Mayers, Harmeet, Salamkheil, Desai

San Francisco suffered their first defeat of the season last time out and it was a shock because they required only 170 to win it in a chase against Freedom. Even more so because they went off like a train with more than ten an over the rate in the first five.

It could be explained by the fact the middle order is out of touch after watching the front three dominate for so long. But a weakness was exposed with Xavier Bartlett surely a spot too high at No 7.

Possible San Francisco XI: Short, Allen, Fraser-McGurk, Krishnamurthi, Shepherd, Hassan, Bartlett, Hamilton, Rauf, Plunkett, Couch

Seattle Orcas v San Francisco Unicorns MLC pitch report

The tournament has moved on to Lauderhill, Florida. And while sixes and runs have flowed in Oakland and Dallas, we have to have a wait-and-see approach for what we get on the east coast. The historic ground form tells us that it could be a more even battle between bat and bowler. But then so did the previous scorecards at Grand Prairie.

In the last seven matches the run rate is just 8.08. The highest first-innings score in that sequence is 191 by India against West Indies in 2022. The lowest is 106 by Ireland against Pakistan, who scraped home in the chase by three wickets.

Clearly the gamble is to go unders across the runs markets. Sportsbook offer under 19.5 sixes at 5/61.84 which on historic form is a standout. That has lost only four times in 30 and once in the last seven. San Francisco's total runs line also looks high at 196.5, keeping on side a return to batting misery from Orcas. 

Seattle Orcas v San Francisco Unicorns MLC match prediction

Unicorns are 1.664/6 to get back on track. It's a price we won't be taking after they flopped at short pre-toss odds last time and even shorter in-play. This despite a suspicion that the Orcas bandwagon hits a pothole.

There's not a huge amount to like about that Orcas balance with Kyle Mayers down at No 7. The fallout from Mott's sacking and Warner's axing may have been so spectacular that it is, in fact, a very unhappy camp. Perhaps Warner is injured but it does seem extraordinary that he has been dropped entirely. Hetmyer's twin knocks may cover a multitude of sins.

If the pitch is as it has always been, it is true that it could be a leveller. To that end Orcas could represent a trade but we're very keen to keep powder dry to see exactly what this surface is up to. 

Seattle Orcas v San Francisco Unicorns v MLC player bets

Top-bat bets also hinge on the surface. Romario Shepherd for Unicorns at 10/111.00 has strong appeal in the middle order. Liekwise Sikandar Raza at 17/29.50. Raza is usually good for one win at least in a franchise league and he did bat as high as No 4 in the win over MI New York. We would like to get with Heinrich Klaasen as he is overdue a success. But the 11/43.75 from Sportsbook is just too short. 

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