Washington Freedom (WAF) brushed aside San Francisco Unicorns (SFU) by Seven wickets in the Qualifier of the ongoing Major League Cricket (MLC) season 2024.
Washington Freedom breezed past San Francisco Unicorns in the Qualifier, comfortably chasing a target of 146 with 27 balls and seven wickets to spare. Travis Head (77* off 44) and Glenn Maxwell (54* off 23) were the architects of a professional chase while Rachin Ravindra starred with the ball (4 for 11) in Freedom’s progress to the MLC 2024 final.
Hassan Khan (57 off 36 and 2-32) put on a fighting all-round show for the Unicorns, efforts that ultimately went in vain.
The Fifties from Travis Head & Glenn Maxwell Take Washington To Maiden MLC Final:
Washington Freedom was given the target of 146 runs in 20 overs. Opener Travis Head, was once again in a destructive mood as he brought up his fifth consecutive fifty in the tournament. He was supported by compatriot Glenn Maxwell who also brought up a fifty in just 22 balls and steered Washington Freedom to a comfortable seven-wicket victory with four overs to spare.
Rachin Ravindra starred with the ball:
Rachin Ravindra was the standout pick of the bowlers for Washington as he scalped four wickets in just 2.4 overs giving away only 11 runs.
Hassan Khan – the Unicorn of San Francisco:
Francisco Unicorns’ Hassan Khan, the all-rounder came up with perhaps his best performance of Major League 2024 against Washington Freedom in the Qualifier, though in a losing cause.
Hassan Khan (57 off 36 and 2-32) put on a fighting all-round show for the Unicorns, efforts that ultimately went in vain.
Washington Freedom has qualified for the Final while San Francisco Unicorns will take on Texas Super Kings in the Challenger on July 26.
Texas Super Kings or San Francisco Unicorns – who is the favorite to win the Challenger:
TSK has been led by the ever-reliable opening partnership of Faf du Plessis and Devon Conway with the bat and a solid all-round core with the ball. Meanwhile, SFU has relied on several timely contributions from their players with the lone standout – the Karachi-born Hassan Khan. The 25-year-old has lit up the tournament with 164 runs and 8 wickets in his 7 outings.
While a one-off win-or-go-home 20-over contest can be as unpredictable as any sporting event, looking at various factors for who goes into it as favorites between TSK and SFU could be worthwhile.
San Francisco Unicorns’s lone defeat in the group stage came at the hands of TSK and more worryingly for them, by a crushing margin. After being asked to bat first, the SFU batters endured a torrid time to be bowled out for a paltry 127 in the 18th over. Further, worsening matters for SFU was how easily TSK completed the run-chase in a mere 12.5 overs with seven wickets in hand on the same pitch.
