"Blasting boundaries and smashing sixes like a boss"- Twiteratti reacts as Quinton de Kock's 88* vs TSK powers Seattle Orcas to the final of MLC 2023

Inspired by Quinton de Kock's scintillating knock, Seattle Orcas (SOR) beat Texas Super Kings (TSK) clinically by nine wickets in the qualifier of Major League Cricket 2023 (MLC 2023) on July 27 at Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas. With the win, SOR became the first team to reach the finals of the inaugural Major League Cricket tournament.

TSK skipper Faf du Plessis won the toss and opted to bat first in the contest. They could only reach 126/9 in 20 overs on a sluggish track. A couple of players got starts, but none could kick on and convert them into substantial knocks. Andrew Tye (3/32) and Imad Wasim (2/23) were the pick of Seattle bowlers.

In reply, SOC lost Nauman Anwar early in the second over with just 10 on the scoreboard. Quinton de Kock (88*) then put on a show with the bat and smashed the TSK bowlers all around the park. He put on a match-winning 117-run partnership with Shehan Jayasuriya (31*) to help his side cruise to victory in just 15 overs.

Fans appreciated Quinton de Kock for his match-defining knock in the crucial qualifier game against a quality side like TSK. Here are some of the reactions on Twitter:

After Jos Buttler, David Warner & Alex Hales, I will pick Quinton De Kock as a best T20 Opener in the world among current players.
#MLC2023

Quinton De Kock has really tormented me as a fan over the years.

Firstly for many years playing for SA against IND.

Then playing for MI playing against CSK.

Now playing for SO playing against TSK.

#MLC2023 #SEAvsTSK

🏏 What a knock by Quinton De Kock!! Congratulations to #MLC2023 T20 #TSK for a hard-fought battle. Now, all eyes on the Finals between #MINY and #Orcas! 🌟 Who's going to lift the trophy? Exciting times ahead! 🎉 #CricketFever #T20Finals

What a knock from Quinton de Kock, 88 off 49 #MajorLeagueCricket

Jsk with a superteam containing
- faf
- Miller
- coetzee
- sams
- Conway
- santner

Fails to win qualifier 1 against a team having just one recognised batter named Quinton de kock pic.twitter.com/omb28RGWFk

Seattle Oscars roar into the MLC 2023 finals with a commanding victory!🔥

Quinton De Kock shines as player of the match in Qualifier 1!👏

#Cricket #MLC #QDK pic.twitter.com/oHvEX2A0lV" target="_blank" title="tweet-url" rel="noopener noreferrer">pic.twitter.com/oHvEX2A0lV

Again, our team is very good and also has a player named Quinton de Kock, why wouldn't you want to watch twitter.com/MLCricket/stat…

Beautiful cover drive from Quinton de Kock.

#MLC2023

pic.twitter.com/dC6zh5ui1K

You gotta love it when Quinton de Kock is in his element, blasting boundaries and smashing sixes like a boss 👌 twitter.com/mlcricket/stat…

"The ball came on to the bat better in the second innings"- TSK captain Faf du Plessis after loss vs Seattle Orcas

Speaking after the conclusion of the qualifier match, Texas Super Kings captain Faf du Plessis revealed they erred in the assessment of the pitch and conditions.

The Texas-based outfit expected the pitch to get slower as the match progressed, influencing their decision to bat first. Faf du Plessis said:

"It was a bad day at the office for us. We thought the pitch was going to be really slow. But it’s night time, so I think we made a mistake at the toss. Hindsight is always 50/50. The ball came on to the bat better in the second innings and they played really well.

On their upcoming match against MINY in the eliminator on Friday night, Faf added:

"Big wake-up call for us ahead of tomorrow's game. We will have to be better in all areas. The beautiful thing about tomorrow is that it is a new day. As bad as today was, tomorrow is a new opportunity for us."