Who has the highest score and best bowling figures for San Francisco Unicorns in Major League Cricket?
San Fransico Unicorns (SFU) represent the West Coast’s rising cricket scene in the USA and MLC and have displayed fearless cricket on the American T20 stage.
They’re currently based at the centralised Grand Prairie Stadium in Texas but have a 12,000-seat arena planned and under construction in Oakland, California.
The Unicorns have quickly become a fan-favourite franchise with a blend of international experience and promising young players growing the game stateside.
SFU are captained by former New Zealand and now United States of America international, Corey Anderson, who played for the USA in the 2024 T20 World Cup and has been key in the sport’s rise in the country.
But who’s been the most prolific batter and bowler for SFU, and what landmarks have the franchise achieved in the MLC so far?
Highest San Francisco Unicorns total in MLC
In 2023, the Unicorns stormed to their highest-ever MLC total of 215 in a dominant display against MI New York.
Corey Anderson’s unbeaten score of 91 off 52 balls was the highlight of SFU’s middle-order dominance in a game where yet again the side’s star Australia trio faltered.
They then backed up their batting with a solid bowling performance, securing a 22 run victory over their East-Coast rivals.
Lowest San Francisco Unicorns total in MLC
SFU’s lowest total came in a tough outing in 2023 when they were dismissed for just 103 against a rampant Washington Freedom (WF) bowling attack.
The Unicorns’ overseas Australian trio of Matthew Wade, Marcus Stoinis and Aaron Finch managed just 25 runs between them leaving too much to do for the rest of the batting order.
Chasing an achievable target of 133, Saurabh Netravalkar delivered the best bowling figures ever seen in the MLC as the USA international took 6 wickets for just 9 runs in a feat that we may never see broken.
Most runs for San Francisco Unicorns in MLC
Finn Allen has taken over from Anderson as the Unicorn’s main batting engine, scoring 381 runs to date with the Black Cap establishing himself as the franchise’s most consistent scorer.
The explosive New Zealand opener mixes power with guile, clearing the fence in the powerplay and piercing gaps in the later stages.
His fearless approach has been pivotal in the Unicorn’s defining their attacking style of play with Allen now being central to their plans and key going into the 2025 season.
Most wickets for MLC in San Francisco Unicorns
Veteran England seamer, Liam Plunkett leads the wicket tally for SFU with 12 scalps in the MLC.
He’s renowned for his variations with his cutters, bounce and changes of pace making him prolific in franchise cricket around the world.
In 2022, he decided to make the permanent move across the pond following the climax of his international career and started off by representing Philadelphia in minor league cricket.
Upon the birth of the MLC, he made the switch to the West Coast and has been a key figure in growing the game and mentoring younger players in the USA.
Highest score for San Francisco Unicorns in MLC
Finn Allen made history with the franchise’s first MLC century in a scintillating knock of 101 off 53 balls against the Texas Super Kings (TSK) in 2024.
Opening the batting, he got SFU off the mark in typical Finn Allen fashion with his dominant strokeplay consisting of 8 fours and 6 sixes as he left the TSK bowling attack with no answers.
Fellow New Zealand opener, Devon Conway, contributed a handy 62 runs in TSK’s response but they weren’t able to get over the line as they fell 10 runs short of the 200 they were chasing.
Best bowling figures for San Francisco Unicorns in MLC
The best bowling figures in Unicorns history came from Hassan Khan who picked up 3/5 in a stunning spell.
The left-arm spinner bamboozled the middle order with variety and ruthless flight and accuracy to completely change the game around inside two overs.
Khan may not be a feature in every match but the bay area won’t forget one of the most influential and economical spells in the franchise’s short history.
Best points table finish for San Francisco Unicorns in MLC
Despite a sub-par fifth place finish in the inaugural MLC season in 2023, SFU came agonisingly close to winning the competition when they were runners up in 2024.
Valiant wins in the Eliminator and Challenger saw them make a maiden MLC final but they were blown away by a crushing 96 run defeat to the Washington Freedom in the last hurdle.
The Unicorns will be hoping to go one better and win it all in the 2025 rendition of the MLC.