Tag: Washington Freedom

DALLAS: Steve Smith scored a swashbuckling half-century and led Washington Freedom to crush San Francisco Unicorns by 96 runs and win the Major League Cricket (MLC) 2024 here on Sunday.

Unicorns’ captain Corey Anderson’s decision to bowl first after winning the coin toss backfired as the Freedom registered a mammoth total of 207/5 on the board.

The Freedom, however, had a contrasting start to their innings as their explosive opener Travis Head (9) perished in the second over with just 11 runs on the board.

But in-form Steve Smith remained firm and dominated the Unicorns’ bowlers with exceptional hitting.

The right-handed batter oversaw Unicorns’ innings until his dismissal in the 17th over.

Steve Smith had an agonizing end to his brilliant knock as he fell short of a well-deserved century, scoring 88 off 52 deliveries, peppered with seven fours and six sixes.

Smith was involved in an important fourth-wicket partnership with Glenn Maxwell, which yielded 83 runs.

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Maxwell walked back to the pavilion in the 18th over after scoring a 22-ball 40.

Later, Mukhtar Ahmed (19) and Obus Pienaar (13) gave final touches to Washington Freedom’s innings.

Pat Cummins bagged two wickets for the Unicorns while Hassan Khan, Haris Rauf and Juanoy Drysdale made one scalp each.

Chasing a daunting total, the Unicorns never got going and eventually bundled out on 111 in 16 overs.

Carmi le Roux remained the top-scorer for the Unicorns with a 19-ball 20, followed by Josh Inglis (18).

Marco Jansen and Rachin Ravindra bagged three wickets each while Andrew Tye claimed two. Saurabh Netravalkar and Maxwell chipped in with a wicket apiece.

For his match-winning half-century, Steve Smith was adjudged the Player of the Match in the MLC 2024 final.

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DALLAS: Rachin Ravindra’s four-fer followed by Travis Head and Glenn Maxwell’s blistering half-centuries steered Washington Freedom to Major League Cricket (MLC) 2024 final with a thumping victory over San Francisco Unicorns on Thursday.

Washington Freedom invited San Francisco Unicorns to bat and bundled them to a meagre 145. The small target was easily chased in 15.3 overs at a loss of three wickets.

Marco Jansen gave Washington Freedom a good start with the ball, removing Finn Allen in the first over. He then bowled Josh Inglis to close the sixth over at a score of 49-3.

Rachin Ravindra trapped Sanjay Krishnamurthi in front of the stumps in the next over to pick his first wicket of the day.

Hassan Khan came out to bat after the wicket of Krishnamurthi and played a brilliant knock of 57 runs from 36 balls with the help of six sixes.

Meanwhile, Ravindra came to complete the 18th over after Lockie Ferguson pulled his hamstring after two balls. Ravindra picked two wickets without giving any run in the next four balls.

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Hassan Khan was still unbeaten with nine wickets down, he struck the last of his six sixes in the next over against Saurabh Netravalkar before he also fell prey to Ravindra on the first ball of the last over.

Ravindra returned with figures of 4-11 in 2.4 overs. During his 16-ball spell, he bowled a whopping 11 dot balls. Meanwhile, Marco Jansen picked three wickets.

While chasing 146, Washington Freedom lost Steve Smith in the second over. However, Travis Head kept the Freedom in the hunt with his aggressive strokeplay.

Head struck 41 runs during the 51-run partnership with Andries Gous (9). Hassan Khan removed Gous and Rachindra (3) to dent the pursuit.

But Glenn Maxwell joined Head and together they steered the side to a comfortable victory with an unbeaten 85-run partnership from 40 balls.

Head scored 77 runs from 44 balls, featuring 10 boundaries and three sixes, while Maxwell struck 54 off 23 with the help of four boundaries and five sixes.

San Francisco Unicorns will face off against Texas Super Kings in the Challenger match to determine the second finalist of the MLC 2024.

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DALLAS: Sanjay Krishnamurthy’s unbeaten half-century, supported by Josh Inglis and Hassan Khan’s cameos, propelled the San Francisco Unicorns to victory over the Washington Freedom in a thrilling Major League Cricket (MLC) 2024 clash on Monday.

The match was reduced to 14 overs due to persistent rain at Grand Prairie Stadium and San Francisco Unicorns were set to chase a revised target of 177 runs, which they successfully achieved with two balls to spare.

Although they did not get the desired start as Akeal Hosein removed Finn Allen on the first ball, Jake Fraser-McGurk and Krishnamurthy stabilized the innings with a 45-run partnership.

Andrew Tye provided the breakthrough in 4.4 overs, sending Fraser-McGurk back after he scored 18 off 9 with two boundaries.

Krishnamurthy was joined by Inglis and they tilted the game completely in the Unicorns’ favour with a swashbuckling partnership of 77 runs from 30 balls.

Inglis smashed six sixes, with three of them coming in consecutive deliveries of Jack Edwards, during his 45-run knock, taking only 17 balls.

Tye once again broke the partnership as he dismissed Inglis, followed by the wicket of Sherfane Rutherford in the same over.

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Hassan Khan joined Krishnamurthy and continued the onslaught which Inglis had started, scoring 55 runs in 22 balls and steering the side to a crushing six-wicket victory.

Krishnamurthy scored an unbeaten 79 off 42 balls with the help of five boundaries and six sixes, while Hassan scored 32 runs from 11 balls, laced with four boundaries and two sixes.

Earlier, Travis Head and Steve Smith constructed a 101-run opening stand after being invited to bat by the Unicorns captain Corey Anderson.

Both batters scored 56 runs each before falling to Anderson in back-to-back overs as Washington Freedom were reduced to 122-2 in 11.4 overs.

Andries Gous played an unbeaten yet cautious 29-run knock from 20 balls, while Rachin Ravindra struck 16 off 6 to help push the team’s total to 174-3 in 15.3 overs before rain halted the play.

The rain break was long enough to reduce overs, marking the end of Unicorns’ innings.

DALLAS: Travis Head and Steve Smith’s half-centuries, followed by Rachin Ravindra’s four-fer steered Washington Freedom to a 42-run victory over Texas Super Kings in the 17th match of the Major League Cricket (MLC) 2024.

Put into bat first, Washington Freedom posted a massive total of 206/5 on the board, courtesy of half-centuries by Head and Smith.

Left-handed opener Head gave the Freedom a flying start with a quickfire half-century.

He added 59 runs for the first wicket with Smith, who managed to face just six balls inside the batting powerplay.

Head returned to the dugout in the fifth over with a 22-ball 53, laced up with 10 boundaries including two sixes.

The Freedom, however, soon slipped to 79/3 in 6.5 overs as Andries Gous and Rachin Ravindra perished with modest contributions.

Smith then played an anchoring role by holding one end firm, allowing Glenn Maxwell to take charge.

The all-rounder took on the Super Kings’ bowlers with his quick 34-run cameo which came off 23 deliveries and featured one four and three sixes.

Following Maxwell’s dismissal, Smith got going and notched up a well-crafted half-century.

He oversaw Freedom’s innings until the penultimate over and returned as the top-scorer with his 40-ball 57, peppered with two fours and three sixes.

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Middle-order batter Obus Pienaar played a pivotal role in pushing the Freedom’s total past the 200-run barrier with his unbeaten cameo. He scored an unbeaten 33 off 21 with the help of three sixes.

Nood Ahmad was the star with the ball for the Super Kings, picking up three wickets while Dwayne Bravo bagged two.

Chasing a daunting 207-run target, the Super Kings’ batting lineup unfolded on 164 on the penultimate delivery of the innings.

The home side, however, got off to a flamboyant start to the run chase with Faf du Plessis leading the charge in the batting powerplay, which yielded 76 runs.

But the Super Kings’ skipper lost the momentum after the batting powerplay and that sort of personified the Super Kings’ problems, who also lost steam once the field spread out, and kept losing wickets at regular intervals.

Faf du Plessis top-scored for the Super Kings with a 32-ball 55 which featured five fours and as many sixes.

Calvin Savage played a fighting cameo towards the end but that only helped in slightly reducing the margin of defeat rather than forcing a turnaround.

Savage struck two fours and three sixes on his way to a 23-ball 35.

Rachin Ravindra led the bowling attack for the Super Kings with 4/16 in his 3.5 overs while Jasdeep Singh and Glenn Maxwell shared six wickets between them.

The resounding 42-run victory solidified Washington Freedom’s grip at the top of the MLC standings with 11 points in six matches while Texas Super Kings remained third with six points in as many matches.

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DALLAS: Travis Head and Andries Gous scored impressive half-centuries, setting the stage for a dominant bowling display that led the Washington Freedom to a commanding 98-run triumph over MI New York to secure their spot in the playoffs of the Major League Cricket (MLC) 2024 on Tuesday.

MI New York invited Washington Freedom to bat first at Grand Prairie Stadium and gained an early advantage with the wicket of Steve Smith (8) with 32 runs on the board.

However, Head and Gous helped Washington Freedom recover with a partnership of 73 runs for the third wicket, propelling the total to 105 in 12th over.

Romario Shepherd provided the breakthrough, sending the dangerous Head back to the pavilion. The Australian batter scored 54 runs from 33 balls with nine boundaries and two sixes.

Gous continued to play an anchor role from the other end while Rachin Ravindra played a blistering 31-run cameo off only 14 balls before falling in the last over.

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Meanwhile, Gous also fell on the last ball of the innings after scoring 59 runs from 48 balls, laced with three boundaries and four sixes.

MI New York’s Rashid Khan and Kieron Pollard claimed two wickets each while Shepherd bagged one wicket.

Chasing a massive 183, MI New York batters failed to put up a fight as they lost six wickets in 6.4 overs with meagre 25 runs on the board.

Shepherd (25) and Trent Boult (16), the only two batters who reached double-figures, knitted a 33-run stand for the seventh wicket but could not pose much threat as Washington Freedom wrapped up the innings at 88 in 13.3 overs.

Jasdeep Singh led the bowling attack with a figures of 3-14, while Marco Jansen, Lockie Ferguson and Glenn Maxwell picked two wickets each.

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DALLAS: Heinrich Klaasen’s half-century went in vain as Lockie Ferguson took four wickets to guide Washington Freedom to victory against Seattle Orcas in the eighth match of the ongoing Major League Cricket (MLC) 2024 at Grand Prairie Stadium on Thursday.

Washington Freedom inserted Seattle Orcas into bat first and Saurabh Netravalkar provided the first breakthrough as he sent Nauman Anwar back with six runs on the board.

Quinton de Kock (24) then knitted a cautious 28-run stand with Ryan Rickelton (4) before Ferguson dismissed them in back-to-backs, reducing Orcas to 44-3 in 7.5 overs.

Klaasen then struck a 30-ball 51 with the help of four boundaries and three sixes, but could not get any support from the other end as the team bundled out for 124 in 19.4 overs.

Ferguson returned with bowling figures of 4-26, while Netravalkar claimed three wickets.

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In response, Washington Freedom lost Travis Head on the second ball of their chase with Imad Wasim taking the prized wicket.

Rachin Ravindra scored 26 off 16 but Seattle Orcas bowlers picked wickets at crucial times to reduce Washington Freedom to 64-5.

However, Lahiru Milantha (33) and Obus Pienaar (30) constructed an unbeaten 63-run stand to ensure a thrilling last-over victory for Washington Freedom.

Nandre Burger took two wickets for Orcas while Imad Wasim, Cameron Gannon and Harmeet Singh managed one each.

Washinton Freedom are comfortable sitting in first place in the MLC 2024 points table with an unbeaten record in three games, while Seattle Orcas are lying at the bottom with two points.

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MORRISVILLE: Faf du Plessis’ blistering century went in vain as the fifth match of the ongoing Major League Cricket (MLC) 2024 clash between Texas Super Kings and Washington Freedom was washed out due to persistent rain at Church Street Park on Monday.

Set to chase a mammoth 204, Washington Freedom raced to 62 in four overs, courtesy of Travis Head and Steve Smith’s clean hitting before rain intervened.

After multiple inspections, the umpires opted to deem the clash abandoned with no result and thus, both teams were awarded a point each.

Washington Freedom, who started their MCL 2024 campaign with a victory are sitting at the top with three points from two games, while Texas Super Kings earned their first point as they lost their first match against Los Angeles Knight Riders.

Earlier, Washington Freedom opted to field first, however, the decision backfired as Texas Super Kings’ openers Faf du Plessis and Devon Conway struck 103 runs in 10 overs.

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Du Plessis led the attack, while Conway played a supporting role with a 26-ball 39, laced with three boundaries and one six.

Saurabh Netravalkar provided the first breakthrough as he removed Conway on the second ball of the 11th over.

Du Plessis was then involved in a 62-run stand for the third wicket with Marcus Stoinis (29) before Justin Dill got rid of the latter.

Meanwhile, Netravalkar dismissed Du Plessis after he completed his century. The South African played a 58-ball knock of 100 runs with the help of five sixes and eleven fours.

Milind Kumar (11) and Dwayne Bravo (5) remained unbeaten to push the team’s total to 203-5 in their allocated 20 overs.

Saurabh Netravalkar topped the bowling charts with two wickets while Marco Jansen, Akeal Hosein and Justin Dill bagged one each.

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MORRISVILLE: Washington Freedom kicked off their Major League Cricket (MLC) 2024 campaign with a victory over defending champions MI New York in a rain-hit clash here on Saturday.

Washington Freedom were five runs ahead of the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) par score in 7.4 overs before rain interrupted the game while chasing 155. The heavy rain did not allow any more play, therefore, they won by five runs.

MI New York drew first blood as Ehsan Adil dismissed Travis Head (1) in the maiden second over. Steve Smith was joined by Andries Gous and attacked Adil in the next over, scoring 14 runs.

Smith then struck Anrich Nortje for 21 runs with two boundaries and two sixes to push the team’s total to 43-1 in six overs.

Gous played a supporting role to Smith until the rain stopped the play with the scoreboard reading 55-1 in 7.4 overs.

Smith scored an unbeaten 46 off 28 with the help of four boundaries and three sixes, while Gous scored 5 runs from 11 balls.

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The persistent rain did not allow the game to be resumed, resulting in Washing Freedom’s victory in their first match in the MLC 2024.

Freedoms’ captain Steve Smith invited MI New York to bat first after winning the toss and the decision proved right as the batting side was reduced to 28-2 in five overs.

Ruben Clinton scored a cautious 28 off 22 before Glenn Maxwell ended his brief stay on the crease.

Nicholas Pooran top-scored for MI New York with a 30-ball 44, which featured five boundaries and one six. He fell prey to Lockie Ferguson in the 16th over with 104 runs on the board.

Rashid Khan played a 15-ball cameo, scoring 31 runs while Anrich Nortje scored 14 off nine, but they both fell in the last over by Saurabh Netravalkar.

MI New York managed to score 154-9 in their allocated 20 overs, with Nosthush Kenjige (5) and Ehsan Adil (1) staying unbeaten.

Netravalkar and Justin Dill topped the wicket-takers chart with three wickets each.

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