129/5 (18.1)
CR : 7.10
126/10 (19.3)
CR : 6.46
Washington Freedom won by 5 wickets 🏆
Player of the Match
Jack Edwards
4/132(4)
WF won by 5 wickets
6:24 AM IST, 5:54 PM Local Time: Washington Freedom win by 5 wickets! We have been treated to another low scoring contest as Pomona continues to lead the bowler's comeback in T20 cricket. However, in such matches it is all about one crucial partnership from any of the sides, and that wins it for them. Mark Chapman and Steve Smith batted with maturity when their side was in trouble, and for the second time in this Pomona leg, they bailed out the Washington Freedom. With that, the Freedom move to the top of the table and take the big leap right from the bottom of the table. That is how competitive MLC 2026 has been.
Washington Freedom won the toss and elected to bowl first. The San Francisco top order was blown away by Jack Edwards as inside the powerplay he reduced the score to 45/4. They were soon down to 56/5 before a decent partnership of 53 between Matthew Short and Hassan Khan took the score to 109. Short was dismissed for 39 at that point in time just as he looked to finish big for his side. That triggered another collapse and from 109/5, SFU slipped to 126/10. The pick of the bowlers was Jack Edwards (4/13). Ian Holland and Ben Dwarshuis picked up two each as well.
On a tacky pitch like that, chasing 127 also would have its own challenges. Mitch Owen was cleaned up in the very first over by Xavier Bartlett. Haris Rauf accounted for Jack Edwards in the second over before Brody Couch cleaned up Andries Gous to reduce the Freedom to 19/3 inside 4 overs. That is when Mark Chapman joined Steve Smith at the crease and they rebuilt the innings with great maturity. Some solid defence was shown and anything loose from the bowlers was bounced on. Chapman was the aggressor and Smith held the other end solid.
They stitched 72(60) for the fourth wicket and broke the back of the chase to an extent. Chapman was eventually dismissed by Rauf for 44 off 33. Steve Smith cruised to yet another crucial and composed 50. He was dismissed for 56 eventually but by then he put the Freedom in a very comfortable position. They won by 5 wickets and 11 balls to spare. The pick of the bowlers for the Unicorns were Brody Couch (2/24) and Haris Rauf (2/27).
Washington Freedom won the toss and elected to bowl first. The San Francisco top order was blown away by Jack Edwards as inside the powerplay he reduced the score to 45/4. They were soon down to 56/5 before a decent partnership of 53 between Matthew Short and Hassan Khan took the score to 109. Short was dismissed for 39 at that point in time just as he looked to finish big for his side. That triggered another collapse and from 109/5, SFU slipped to 126/10. The pick of the bowlers was Jack Edwards (4/13). Ian Holland and Ben Dwarshuis picked up two each as well.
On a tacky pitch like that, chasing 127 also would have its own challenges. Mitch Owen was cleaned up in the very first over by Xavier Bartlett. Haris Rauf accounted for Jack Edwards in the second over before Brody Couch cleaned up Andries Gous to reduce the Freedom to 19/3 inside 4 overs. That is when Mark Chapman joined Steve Smith at the crease and they rebuilt the innings with great maturity. Some solid defence was shown and anything loose from the bowlers was bounced on. Chapman was the aggressor and Smith held the other end solid.
They stitched 72(60) for the fourth wicket and broke the back of the chase to an extent. Chapman was eventually dismissed by Rauf for 44 off 33. Steve Smith cruised to yet another crucial and composed 50. He was dismissed for 56 eventually but by then he put the Freedom in a very comfortable position. They won by 5 wickets and 11 balls to spare. The pick of the bowlers for the Unicorns were Brody Couch (2/24) and Haris Rauf (2/27).
Matt Short (San Francisco Unicorns Captain): "[Where it went wrong for the Unicorns] Really good bowling from Washington and we lost wickets in clumps. Credit to them, they used the conditions better than we did.
[On the conditions] The inconsistency in bounce. If it consistently keeps low, it might be fine but it becomes an issue if there is extra bounce. The team that adapted quicker won the game.
[Team's situation] Last time, we won, we jumped from fifth to first. That is how close the table is. Every match is important. Even taking this game to the 18th over is crucial."
[On the conditions] The inconsistency in bounce. If it consistently keeps low, it might be fine but it becomes an issue if there is extra bounce. The team that adapted quicker won the game.
[Team's situation] Last time, we won, we jumped from fifth to first. That is how close the table is. Every match is important. Even taking this game to the 18th over is crucial."
Time for the post-match presentations...
Power Hitter of the Day- Hassan Khan
Play of the Day- Steve Smith
Player of the Match: Jack Edwards (4/13 in 4 overs)
Jack Edwards (POTM): "[What pleased him the most today?] Yeah, I was a little disappointed the way I bowled the other night. I just wanted to simplify it today. Just try and hit the right length and bowl my stock ball. I managed to hit find the edge a few times so pretty happy."
Steve Smith (Washington Freedom Captain): "[About the pitch] Yeah, it was tricky. Little bit up and down and seam movement, wasn't easy.
[Bowling effort from the team] Our bowlers were great early on, Jack (Edwards) especially. Kept taking wickets throughout and restricted them to what we thought was a gettable total. Nice to get the job done.
[Change in batting line-up] Small tactical change with myself coming down the order. Looked for guys to go hard up front and then for me to come and anchor due to the conditions. Worked out well in the end."
[Bowling effort from the team] Our bowlers were great early on, Jack (Edwards) especially. Kept taking wickets throughout and restricted them to what we thought was a gettable total. Nice to get the job done.
[Change in batting line-up] Small tactical change with myself coming down the order. Looked for guys to go hard up front and then for me to come and anchor due to the conditions. Worked out well in the end."
That ends the coverage of the first match of this double header Independence Day in the States. With all the teams at 6 points and separated by just NRR before this match, the Freedom have carved out an important result for themselves to leapfrog to number 1 on the table with 8 points next to their name.
You can switch tabs as it is time for the evening game in this ever-entertaining MLC 2026. Los Angeles Knight Riders versus MI New York. It'll take place at this very stadium and there are a few T20 legends on show.
On this note, I, Manan Mehta would like to take your leave on behalf of my colleagues Karthik Raj and Bishal Mandal. B-byeeee!!!
You can switch tabs as it is time for the evening game in this ever-entertaining MLC 2026. Los Angeles Knight Riders versus MI New York. It'll take place at this very stadium and there are a few T20 legends on show.
On this note, I, Manan Mehta would like to take your leave on behalf of my colleagues Karthik Raj and Bishal Mandal. B-byeeee!!!