A dominant performance by the Washington Freedom bowlers combined with a lower-middle order rear guard action ensured a five-wicket for Washington Freedom. The team from the Capital of the United States had a decent outing, having restricted the strong Seattle Orcas batting for 124. Having bundled them out inside their 20 overs.
Chasing a moderate total, Washington Freedom almost made a mess of it, losing several top-order batsmen cheaply. However, a rescue operation from lower middle order batsman, Lahiru Milantha and Obus Pienaar ensured that Washington Freedom got home in 18.2 overs. It was a good win for the team from the capital, giving them valuable two points.
South African Show for the Orcas but Little Support Elsewhere
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Captain Heinrich Klaasen and Quinton de Kock are two of the best batsmen in the Seattle side. And the two South African internationals came good with decent scores of 51 and 24 respectively. Scores came in good time, but there was virtually no support at the other end. The Indian-born Shubham Ranjane was the only other player to reach double figures scoring a slow 12 off 17.
This meant that the Orcas were unable to put pressure on the Washington side, with wickets falling at the other end Captian Heinrich Klaasen had to play a more circumspect innings by his standards. And unlike the Washington Freedom the lower middle order for the team from Seattle just folded under the pacey bowling of Lockie Ferguson, Saurabh Netravalkar, and Marco Jansen. With Ferguson leading the pack with four wickets for 26 in his four overs that earned him the player of the match award, which was well deserved.
A Jittery Response from the Washington Freedom
With the batting lineup featuring the likes of Travis Head, Steve Smith and Glenn Maxwell the Washington Freedom should have made short work of the target of 125. But things got off badly when opener Travis Head was dismissed for 0 in the first over. Then following a short recovery operation involving Steve Smith and Rachin Ravindra, the New Zealand international was dismissed for 26 by Nandre Burger, with the team score on 34.
This led to a mini collapse as the Washington Freedom lost wickets at regular intervals, ending up on 64 for 5 with key player Maxwell out cheaply. However, Lahiru Milantha and Obus Pienaar got together to guide the side home with a solid 63-run partnership. The bowling for Seattle Orcas was impressive with Nandre Burger leading the way, but ultimately they had too few runs to play with. 125 was simply not enough against the Washington batting lineup.
Washington Freedom at the Top of the Table
So the Washington Freedom are the first team in the league to secure two wins, thus putting them in the top spot, with one no result. Still, to be beaten, the team from Washington D.C is now the team to beat in the tournament. Till will tell if they would maintain their form. But they certainly have the firepower to do so. So it is going to be an exciting time for fans of Major League Cricket as all the ingredients are there: world-class players, competitive teams, and increasing interest in American cricket. Whilst it is still early days things are bound to get interesting as the tournament moves forward.
