Saurabh Netravalkar and Steve Smith Lead Washington Freedom to Victory Over MI New York

In the rain-affected third match of the 2024 Cognizant Major League Cricket season at Church Street Park in Morrisville, Washington Freedom triumphed over MI New York by four runs via the DLS Method after the game was halted due to inclement weather.

Washington Freedom vs MI New York, Match 3

Washington Freedom 55/1 (7.4 ov)

MI New York 154/9 (20 ov)

Washington won by 4 runs (DLS method)

SCORECARD  

 

The match was a tightly contested one. In the second innings, Washington Freedom faced an early setback with the dismissal of Travis Head (1). Steve Smith took a couple of overs to settle in, but once he found his rhythm and struck his first boundary on his 7th ball, the New York bowlers struggled to contain him. The Australian star batsman smashed 4 fours and 3 sixes, racing to an impressive 46 off 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 them ahead on DLS with a score of 55/1.

Earlier in the day, MI New York struggled to score freely against a disciplined bowling attack after batting first. Despite Nicholas Pooran's valiant effort, scoring a 30-ball 44, the team from New York faced consistent setbacks with regular loss of wickets. 

Opener Ruben Clinton (28) gave his team a strong platform with a good start, but the introduction of Glenn Maxwell proved lethal, seeing him 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 regular boundaries. Despite the wickets falling at the other end, Pooran kept the pressure on the Washington Freedom bowlers. 

Lockie Ferguson was the breakthrough bowler for MI New York, as Pooran’s mistimed shot fell to Glenn Maxwell. Eventually, Pooran was aided by a crucial cameo from Rashid Khan, who smashed 31 off 15, and some valuable boundaries from Anrich Nortje (14), which propelled them to 154. 

With the ball for Washington Freedom, Saurabh Netravalkar got the crucial scalps of MI New York skipper Kieron Pollard (3), as well as the dangerous Rashid and Nortje. Even Justin Dill’s three wickets came in handy, with his wicket of Tim David (9) providing a crucial breakthrough.

Match Stats

MI New York Fall of wickets: 1-15 (Monank Patel - 2.2 ov), 2-28 (Shayan Jahangir - 4.6 ov), 3-53 (Ruben Clinton - 7.4 ov), 4-70 (Tim David - 10.6 ov), 5-91 (Kieron Pollard - 13.4 ov), 6-104 (Nicholas Pooran - 15.2 ov), 7-111 (Trent Boult - 16.5 ov), 8-144 (Rashid Khan - 19.1 ov), 9-149 (Anrich Nortje - 19.4 ov)

Washington Freedom Fall of wickets: 1-3 (Travis Head - 1.2 ov)

 

Playing XI

Washington Freedom 

• Andries Gous(WK)
• Mukhtar Ahmed
• Travis Head
• Steven Smith
• Glenn Maxwell
• Justin Dill
• Marco Jansen
• Obus Pienaar
• Lockie Ferguson
• Saurabh Netravalkar
• Akeal Hosein

MI New York 

• Nicholas Pooran(WK)
• Monank Patel
• Tim David
• Kieron Pollard
• Shayan Jahangir
• Ruben Clinton
• Ehsan Adil
• Rashid Khan
• Nosthush Kenjige
• Trent Boult
• Anrich Nortje

 

Match Details:

Date: Saturday, July 6, 2024 20:00

Venue: Church Street Park, Morrisville

Toss: Washington Freedom elected to bowl