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• Allen hundred sets up rematch between San Francisco Unicorns and Washington Freedom in Major League Cricket final

  Aggresive New Zealand opener Finn Allen hit the third hundred of his T20 career to propel the San Francisco Unicorns to a win over the Texas Super Kings at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas on Friday to advance to the Major League Cricket final.

  The 25-year-old Allen put the Super Kings to the sword in Friday's Challenger to help his side make 200-6 off their 20 overs after being inserted by Super Kings skipper Faf du Plessis.

  Allen faced 53 balls and hit nine fours and five sixes on his way to 101 and was supported well by Australian wicket-keeper/batsman Josh Inglis who hit 37 off 25 balls including two fours and a six.

  Afghan left-arm wrist spinner Noor Ahmad snagged 3-27 from his four overs for the Super Kings.

  Then, despite unbeaten fifties from both Devon Conway and Joshua Tromp, TSK fell agonizingly short of a spot in the final, finishing 190-4 from their 20 overs.

  Conway led the way with 62* off 38 balls including four fours and two sixes while Tromp hit five fours and two sixes on his way to a 36-ball 56*.

  Captain du Plessis had earlier made 45 off 22 balls.

  Conway and Tromp got together at 90-4 in the 10^th over and tried their best with a 100-run partnership but the runs proved to be just enough for the Unicorns.

  The Unicorns will now square off with the Washington Freedom in Sunday’s final, also being played at the Grand Prairie Stadium.

  The pair met on Thursday in the qualifier where the Freedom chased down 146 in 15.3 overs to book their spot in the final.

   

   

• Young Reggae Boyz blanked 3-0 by Cuba to end Concacaf U-20 Champs pointless

  Jamaica’s young Reggae Boyz ended their failed Concacaf Men's Under-20 Championship campaign without a goal or a point after a 0-3 loss to Cuba in their final Group A fixture at the Estadio Leon in Mexico on Friday.

  With the victory, Cuba finished third in the group on four points and booked their spot in the quarterfinal round as one of the two best third-place teams. They join group winners United States, who finished with maximum nine points following their 1-0 win over runners-up Costa Rica (four points).

  The Jamaicans were again undone by poor defending and a lack of offensive intent, which basically summed up their presence in the tournament, as they showed very little quality from the start.

  In fact, they had a slim opportunity to bring their campaign to life but needed to beat Cuba to make it possible. Instead, it was the Spanish-speaking Caribbean team that marched on, as Michael Camejo dazzled Jamaica’s defence with nippy footwork before firing home in the 35th minute.

  Cuba doubled their lead in the 42nd courtesy of David Perez, who capitalised on a defensive error.

  Romain Blake got Jamaica’s lone attempt on target in the 47th, but was denied by Yurdy Hodelin.

  Karel Pérez then wrapped up victory for Cuba when he converted from the penalty spot in the 86th.

  Cuba will face the Group B winner, Honduras, in the quarterfinals.

  Meanwhile, United States, through an all-important strike from Nikolas Tsakiris, his second of the tournament, saw off 10-man Costa Rica.

  After Aiden Harangi’s early effort was denied by the crossbar, Tsakiris then found the game’s solitary goal in the 37th to ensure three-time champions United States remained unbeaten heading into the knockout stage.

  Costa Rica lost Alberth Barahona to a straight red card in the 50th minute.

  United States, the reigning champions, will square off against the best third-place team from either Group B or C in the quarterfinal.

  Elsewhere, Canada and Honduras also booked their spots in the quarterfinal after contrasting 2-1 and 5-2 victories over El Salvador and Dominican Republic in their final Group B encounters at the Sergio Leon Chavez Stadium.

  Both Canada and Honduras ended on seven points each, but the latter secured top spot by virtue of a superior goal difference.

  Canada await the runner-up of Group C.

• ECB chief insists no decision made on Mott future

  England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive Richard Gould has denied reports a decision has already been made on Matthew Mott's future as white-ball coach.

  Mott's future has been called into question in the aftermath of England's failure to defend their T20 World Cup crown in the United States and West Indies, losing to India in the semi-finals.

  Mott also oversaw England's calamitous 50-over World Cup campaign last year, as they lost six of their nine matches in India and crashed out in the group stage.

  Reports earlier this week suggested the decision had already been made to dispense with Mott's services, with Eoin Morgan a contender to succeed him, though the former limited-overs captain has since said he has no interest in the role.

  Asked by BBC Test Match Special if Mott's future had already been decided, Gould said: "That's not true. That's certainly not true.

  "Matthew Mott is a really good guy and coach. He's got a great track record and it is the same with [captain] Jos [Buttler].

  "We are always assessing options - that is what happens in high-performance sport, you are always assessing your options.

  "You never want to be drawn into being given the dreaded vote of confidence or anything like that. Competitive sport always brings scrutiny and decisions.

  "We'll constantly want to assess our options but we'll always want to do the right thing by the sport, the team and individuals."