The rain gods threatened to steal the show in Morrisville, but the Washington Freedom emerged victorious in a thrilling encounter against MI New York. The third match of the 2024 Cognizant Major League Cricket, held at Church Street Park, was cut short due to downpours. However, using the DLS, the Freedom edged out their opponents by four runs. (More Cricket News)
Washington Freedom took a hit early in the second innings with Travis Head out for just 1 run. Steve Smith, however, started slow but exploded after his first boundary on the 7th ball.
The New York bowlers were powerless to stop the Australian star as he hammered 4 fours and 3 sixes on his way to a blistering 46 runs off just 28 balls.
With 7.4 overs of the Washington Freedom innings done, the match took a turn for the worse as rain and lighting brought on the covers. However, Steve Smith’s power-hitting in the final over of the powerplay took the ahead on DLS with a score of 55/1.
Put into bat first, MI New York found runs hard to come by against a disciplined Washington Freedom bowling attack. While Nicholas Pooran impressed with a quickfire 44 off just 30 balls, regular wickets kept New York in check throughout their innings.
Opener Ruben Clinton (28) gave his team a strong platform with a good start, but the introduction of Glenn Maxwell proved lethal as he was bowled while attempting a reverse sweep.
With Monank Patel (5) and Shayan Jahangir (6) having lost their wickets, all eyes were on Pooran, who found the regular boundaries. Despite the wickets falling at the other end, Pooran kept the pressure on the Washington Freedom bowlers.
MI New York's batting relied heavily on a late surge. Lockie Ferguson provided the breakthrough, dismissing a miscued shot from Nicholas Pooran (44). However, a crucial cameo from Rashid Khan (31 off 15) and some valuable boundaries from Anrich Nortje (14) in the final overs helped them reach a total of 154.
Washington Freedom's bowlers stepped up in the chase. Saurabh Netravalkar was the star, picking up the key wickets of MI New York skipper Kieron Pollard (3) along with the dangerous late hitters Rashid Khan and Anrich Nortje.
Justin Dill also chipped in with three wickets, including the crucial dismissal of Tim David (9) which halted New York's momentum.
Brief Score: Washington Freedom 55//1 (Steve Smith 40) beat MI New York (Nicholas Pooran 44, Rashid Khan 31, Saurabh Netravalkar 3/24) by four runs via DLS Method.
