Dominant Washington Freedom lift Major League Cricket title

Captain Smith, Maxwell, Jansen and Ravindra shine as Freedom thrash Unicorns by 96 runs

A superb 88 off 52 balls from Captain Steven Smith and a quickfire 40 by his Australia teammate Glen Maxwell helped Washington Freedom thrash San Francisco Unicorn by 96 runs to win the second edition of Major League Cricket at the Grand Prairie Stadium on Sunday.

In response to Freedom’s massive total of 207 for 5, the Unicorns were bowled out for 111 in 16 overs. South African left-arm pacer Marco Jansen and New Zealand phenom Rachin Ravindra both shone with the ball, each taking three wickets, dismantling the Unicorns’ batting lineup.

Coached by Australian great Ricky Ponting, the Freedom have been dominant throughout the season, winning six out of their eight matches and losing just once—to the Unicorns in their last league contest. (One match was abandoned.) In the playoffs, Freedom beat the Unicorns twice, showcasing their superiority.

On Sunday, after being put into bat by San Francisco captain Cory Anderson, Washington suffered an early setback when Travis Head fell to his Aussie Test captain Pat Cummins.\

READ: Washington Freedom crush Los Angeles Knight Riders to remain on top of table (July 15, 2024)

However, Smith, in partnership with Number 3 Andries Gous, and later with Maxwell, steered the team to a mammoth total. The partnership between Smith and Maxwell was particularly explosive, adding 83 runs off just 39 balls.

The Freedom scored 121 off the last 10 overs, with Mukhtar Ahmed (19 off 9) and Obus Pienaar (13 off 9) contributing 30 in the final 16 deliveries, ensuring the team maintained momentum at the innings break.

The Unicorns’ chase faltered from the beginning, losing key wickets early. Jake Fraser-McGurk, Sanjay Krishnamurthi, and last match’s centurion Finn Allen were all dismissed by the end of the fifth over, leaving the Unicorns reeling at 30 for 3. They never recovered from this early collapse.

For Washington, Ravindra’s dismissal of Juanoy Drysdale with the last ball of the 16th over sealed the victory and culminated in a dominant season. After a promising season last year, where they lost to eventual winners MI New York in the first playoff match, the Freedom revamped their team. Owner Sanjay Govil brought in Ponting and Smith, two all-time greats, leading to immediate success.

Throughout the season, the Freedom played top-notch cricket.

Smith said it was nice to contribute to what has been a really good season. He said he “enjoyed leading these boys.” Pointing out that the team’s batting was strong, he said “Don’t think Marco [Jansen] even got a bat, batting at 8 and that showed how our top order and Travis [Head] at the top (batted). Made things easier for me. [Saurabh] Netravalkar was outstanding, Lockie [Ferguson] was outstanding. Everyone stood up at pressure moments throughout the tournament.”

Opener Head, who scored 336 runs in 9 matches at a strike rate of 173.19, was named the “Most Valuable Player of the Tournament.”

Smith matched Head’s run tally, and both finished behind the leading run-scorer, Texas Super Kings’ skipper Faf du Plessis, who amassed 420 runs at a strike rate of 171.42.

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Washington’s U.S. opening bowler Saurabh Netravalkar was the leading wicket-taker with 15 scalps in 7 matches.

“[I am [really grateful for the platform, to play alongside such top-quality stars,” Netravalkar said in a post-match interview. “Really proud of the attitude we have shown as a team. This could be the backbone of our domestic cricket. you can see the fan base increasing. Love playing here every year and looking forward (to next year already).”

Unicorns’ Hassan Khan was named the Bart King Domestic Player of the Tournament, but it was Freedom’s day to celebrate as they lifted the championship trophy, capping off a season to remember.