Washington Freedom triumph over San Francisco Unicorns in 2024 Major League Cricket Final, winning by 96 runs

Washington Freedom triumphed in the 2024 Major League Cricket Final, defeating the San Francisco Unicorns by 96 runs.

Match Summary

Washington Freedom vs San Francisco Unicorns, Final

Washington Freedom 207/5 (20 ov)

San Francisco Unicorns 111/10 (16 ov)

Washington Freedom won by 96 runs

SCORECARD 

 

Match Analysis

In a spectacular display of power hitting and strategic bowling, Washington Freedom etched their name on the Cognizant Major League Cricket 2024 trophy with a massive 96-run victory over the San Francisco Unicorns in the Championship final at Grand Prairie Stadium on Sunday.

Led by a stellar performance from Steve Smith and Glenn Maxwell, Freedom set an imposing target of 208, which proved too steep for the Unicorns to chase.

In need of a strong start, the Unicorns were immediately on the back foot. Jake Fraser-McGurk (3) was dismissed early in the third over, and Marco Jansen struck a crucial blow by removing Finn Allen (13), who scored a century in the qualifier. With the score at 30/3, the Unicorns were in deep trouble.

The middle-order collapse continued as Sherfane Rutherford (4) and Josh Inglis (18) fell early, extinguishing any hopes of a miraculous chase. Andrew Tye, who was brought in for the final, picked up two pivotal wickets, further tightening the noose around the Unicorns. Rachin Ravindra then cleaned out the tail with an impressive spell, ending with figures of 3/23.

Earlier in the ultimate match of the tournament, the team from Washington lost Head (9) early. Then, Steve Smith (88) took centre stage, anchoring the innings with a masterful knock. He found support in Andries Gous (21), who added a steadying partnership before both Gous and Rachin Ravindra (11) fell without significant contributions. Undeterred, Smith unleashed a barrage of strokes, finding the boundary with ease.

Glenn Maxwell (40) joined Smith and the duo took the game away from the Unicorns with their aggressive batting. A memorable over saw Drysdale concede 28 runs as both Smith and Maxwell went berserk, setting the stage for a massive total.

Smith's departure, followed shortly by Maxwell's, brought Mukhtar Ahmed (19*) to the crease, who contributed a quick cameo with a couple of big hits, pushing the total past the 200-mark. The Freedom ended their innings at 208, a record total for a final.

Brief Scores: Washington Freedom (Steve Smith 88, Glenn Maxwell 40, Pat Cummins 2/35) beat San Francisco Unicorns (Carmi Le Roux 20, Josh Inglis 18, Marco Jansen 3/28) by 96 runs.

 

TOURNAMENT AWARDS:

WINNERS: Washington Freedom

RUNNERS-UP: San Francisco Unicorns

STAKE MOST VALUABLE PLAYER OF THE TOURNAMENT: Travis Head (Washington Freedom)

ROYAL RICE LEADING RUN SCORER: Faf du Plessis (Texas Super Kings)

WILLOW BY CRICBUZZ LEADING WICKET TAKER: Saurabh Netravalkar (Washington Freedom)

BART KING DOMESTIC PLAYER OF THE TOURNAMENT: Hassan Khan (San Francisco Unicorns)

 

Match Stats

Washington Freedom  Fall of wickets: 1-11 (Travis Head - 1.2 ov), 2-49 (Andries Gous - 5.5 ov), 3-86 (Rachin Ravindra - 10.1 ov), 4-169 (Steven Smith - 16.3 ov), 5-177 (Glenn Maxwell - 17.2 ov)

San Francisco Unicorns Fall of wickets: 1-15 (Jake Fraser McGurk - 2.1 ov), 2-30 (Sanjay Krishnamurthi - 3.5 ov), 3-30 (Finn Allen - 4.5 ov), 4-51 (Sherfane Rutherford - 7.4 ov), 5-53 (Josh Inglis - 8.1 ov), 6-53 (Corey Anderson - 8.3 ov), 7-68 (Pat Cummins - 9.5 ov), 8-78 (Hassan Khan - 10.4 ov), 9-92 (Haris Rauf - 13.5 ov), 10-111 (Juanoy Drysdale - 15.6 ov)

 

Playing XI

Washington Freedom 

• Travis Head
• Steven Smith(C)
• Andries Gous(WK)
• Rachin Ravindra
• Glenn Maxwell
• Mukhtar Ahmed
• Obus Pienaar
• Marco Jansen
• Ian Holland
• Andrew Tye
• Saurabh Netravalkar

San Francisco Unicorns 

• Finn Allen
• Jake Fraser McGurk
• Sanjay Krishnamurthi
• Josh Inglis(WK)
• Sherfane Rutherford
• Hassan Khan
• Corey Anderson(C)
• Pat Cummins
• Haris Rauf
• Carmi le Roux
• Juanoy Drysdale

 

Match Details:

Date: Monday, July 29, 2024 01:30

Venue: Grand Prairie Stadium, Texas

Toss: San Francisco Unicorns elected to bowl