Picture Credit: X
With the Major League Cricket (MLC) 2025 underway in the USA, Seattle Orcas on Friday, June 27 got their first win of the season, when they defeated MI New York by three wickets at the Grand Prairie in Dallas. While the win was crucial for the Orcas, they were also handed a massive setback as from Protea international, Heinrich Klaasen decided to step down from the leadership role, midway through the season. The move came just after the franchise sacked head coach Matthew Mott in a surprising move.
In a statement from MLC, Klaasen took the decision to leave captaincy “to focus fully on his responsibility as a batter”. With Klaasen resigning from captaincy, the franchise announced Zimbabwe all-rounder Sikandar Raza as their new captain for the remainder of teh season. Taking to X, the franchise wrote, "Wishing Sikandar Raza the best as he takes over reins of #SeattleOrcas for the remainder of #MLC2025 🙌".
Matthew Mott sacked as Seattle Orcas' head coach in MLC 2025
While the decision of the team sacking Matthew Mott came as a surprise, reports add that the team confirmed what they called “strategic mid-season leadership changes” and explained that Mott’s exit was down to “differences in coaching and management strategies”. In a statement Orcas Chief Executive, Hemant Dua said, “This is a moment of reflection and renewal for the Seattle Orcas.” He further added, “We are grateful to Matthew for his commitment and professionalism during his time with us, and we wish him the very best in his future endeavors.”
It is to be noted that Mott took the charge prior to this season. As of now, no replacement has been named. Rishi Bhardwaj is the team’s assistant coach, while Ian Bell and Munaf Patel are handling the batting and bowling coaching duties respectively.
Further speaking of Klaasen's decision, Hemant Dua said, “We respect Heinrich’s decision to step down voluntarily as captain to focus on his batting. This reflects his character and team-first mindset. Sikandar was our unanimous choice once we heard from Klassen about his decision. We believe these changes set the stage for a strong second half of the season.”
Seattle Orcas’ get their first win in MLC 2025
The leadership change worked in the favour of Orcas as they registered theri first win of this season, beating MI New York in a record run chase. Chasing a big total of 238 for victory, they rode to victory on an unbeaten 97 off 40 balls from Shimron Hetmyer to chase down the target on the final ball of the innings. Orcas won the game by three wickets. With six runs needed from the final ball, Hetmyer smashed Kieron Pollard for a six over fine leg to finish things off in style.
Orcas had a terrible run in the previous year as well when they finished at the bottom of the table, that too, after topping the table and making the final - where they lost to MINY - in 2023. Wayne Parnell had led the team that season, before Klaasen took over the reins in 2024.
