San Francisco Unicorns fast bowler Haris Rauf grabbed attention by giving a rousing farewell to MI New York captain Nicholas Pooran during the Major League Cricket (MLC) 2026 match. The Pakistan fast bowler pointed towards the dugout after dismissing Pooran with a brilliant ball in the first innings.
San Francisco Unicorns elected to bowl first at the Knight Riders Cricket Ground in Pomona on Monday, July 6 (IST). The Matt Short-led side bowled out MI New York for just 104 runs in 20 overs. Rauf bowled economically, giving only 13 runs including one maiden run, while taking one wicket in four overs.
What really happened between Haris Rauf and Nicholas Pooran and how was the farewell?
Nicholas Pooran came in after Quinton de Kock was out for a duck in the opening over of MI New York. The captain scored 20 runs in 19 balls including four fours before becoming the victim of Haris Rauf. His wicket was a big blow as he was MI New York’s most reliable batsman this season.
Haris Rauf produced a sharp back-of-a-length delivery outside the off stump which went back to Pooran. The MI New York captain seemed unsure whether to play the ball or leave it and took his decision very late.
The ball took a slight under-edge before hitting the off stump. Rauf celebrated with a loud roar and pointed towards the dugout, giving Pooran a rousing farewell after the crucial breakthrough.
WATCH: Haris Rauf bids rousing farewell to Nicholas Pooran after surprise exit in MLC 2026
Rauf couldn’t have put it better pic.twitter.com/hmbh6ZagBv
– Cognizant Major League Cricket (@MLCricket) July 6, 2026
San Francisco Unicorns strike early to take control
MI New York got off to a poor start after being invited to bat first on a difficult surface. The pitch had uneven bounce and seam movement, making it difficult to bat. Xavier Bartlett shocked Quinton de Kock by dismissing him for a golden duck in the opening over.
Wickets kept falling as MI New York failed to build a partnership. Monank Patel scored 11 runs before being dismissed, while Tajinder Dhillon managed to score seven runs. Shakib Al Hasan added just one run as San Francisco Unicorns maintained the pressure throughout the powerplay.
Kieron Pollard could not repeat his previous match-winning performance after Haris Rauf dismissed Nicholas Pooran and was caught in the deep after scoring just two runs. MI New York slipped to 46/6 inside the first nine overs.
MI New York was out for 104 runs in the first innings
Corbin Bosch and Corey Anderson made a partnership of 19 runs before Anderson was out for 14 runs. Bosch then added 30 runs with Tristan Luus for the eighth wicket, but was out LBW for 21, leaving MI New York ultimately all out for 104.
Matt Short bowled brilliantly and took 4 wickets for 17 runs. Brodie Couch claimed 3/32, while Haris Rauf impressed with an economical spell of 1/13, including a maiden over. Xavier Bartlett also took a wicket and San Francisco Unicorns put themselves in a strong position to chase the target.
“Look, we just stuck to our process. Hit the wicket and stuck to our plans. Kept it simple. Early wickets are important, it puts pressure on the batsmen. We took early wickets and that helped us keep the pressure on. The pitch has a lot of bounce today. We will learn from the last game and use that to get over the line,” Brodie Couch said during the innings break.
Also read: Watch: Dasun Shanaka creates MLC history by taking four wickets in four balls