The Major League Cricket (MLC) eliminator at the Oakland Coliseum saw Washington Freedom achieve the highest successful run chase in T20 history, defeating defending champions MI New York by six wickets. The match on Tuesday was notable for three batters scoring centuries, a first in men’s T20 cricket.
Steve Smith led the charge for Washington Freedom with a 40-ball century, his fastest in any format. He remained unbeaten on 110 runs from 48 balls, marking his seventh T20 century. This performance was crucial in chasing down MI New York’s total of 9-266, with Washington Freedom reaching 4-270 with eight balls to spare.
Smith’s innings included nine sixes. He expressed his desire to represent his country at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. His partnership with Andries Gous was instrumental in the chase.
Gous and Smith’s Record Partnership
Andries Gous, a local player, delivered a significant performance, scoring 132 runs off 51 balls. His knock featured 12 sixes and 10 fours, earning him the Player of the Match award. Gous became the first domestic player to score a century in the United States-based league.
Gous and Smith formed a 241-run stand for the third wicket in just 89 balls, which is the highest third-wicket partnership in the T20 format and the second-highest for any wicket. This partnership resurrected Washington Freedom’s chase after early wickets of Mitch Owen (1) and Rachin Ravindra (6), who had earlier claimed 4-29 with the ball.
The pair’s centuries, both coming off 40 balls, made it only the second instance of two batters scoring centuries while chasing in a T20 match. Washington Freedom, the 2024 MLC champions, were at 2-10 before the partnership took them to 3-251. Glenn Maxwell sealed the victory with a swept six in the penultimate over.
Pooran’s Rapid Century and Match Dynamics
Earlier in the match, Nicholas Pooran of MI New York scored a 31-ball century, which is the fastest century in Major League Cricket history and the equal sixth-fastest of all time in T20s. Pooran’s innings included 13 sixes. He and Kieron Pollard (64 off 25 balls), who hit eight sixes, dominated the Washington Freedom attack, with Pollard also crossing 1,000 sixes in T20 cricket during his innings.
MI New York posted a total of 9-266, which was the competition’s second-highest total at the time. The match saw a combined total of 536 runs scored in 38.4 overs, with both teams clearing the rope a record 51 times. The average boundary size on the converted baseball field was approximately 65m.
The game’s momentum shifted after Rachin Ravindra’s bowling spell. Introduced when MI New York were 211 for 3 after 13 overs, Ravindra took 4 for 28 across the 14th, 16th, 18th, and 20th overs, which helped slow down MI New York’s scoring and prevented an even higher total.
The result means Washington Freedom will advance to the Challenger final on Wednesday, where they will face San Francisco Unicorns. The winner of that match will then compete against Los Angeles Knight Riders in the final on Saturday night in Oakland.
Source: cricket.com.au
