Dallas, July 23 (IANS): Led by Sanjay Krishnamurthi's unbeaten 79 off 42 balls and Josh Inglis' rapid 45 off 17, the San Francisco Unicorns handed the Washington Freedom their first loss of the season in the penultimate league stage match of the Major League Cricket (MLC) 2024 at Grand Prairie Stadium on Monday.
Despite Steve Smith and Travis Head each scoring half-centuries to guide Washington Freedom to 174/3 in 15.3 overs, the Unicorns managed their run-chase flawlessly in a rain-affected game, securing a six-wicket victory (DLS Method).
Both teams ended the league stage with 11 points from seven matches, with Washington Freedom finishing on top due to a superior Net Run Rate, while the San Francisco Unicorns placed second.
With the game reduced to 14 overs due to rain, San Francisco Unicorns were given a DLS-adjusted target of 177 runs to win. Finn Allen was sent packing on the very first ball of the innings by Akeal Hosein.
Despite the early setback, Jake Fraser-McGurk and Sanjay Krishnamurthi took an aggressive approach, smashing 42 runs in the Powerplay of 4 overs. However, Fraser-McGurk was caught behind by Andries Gous off Andrew Tye in the next over, having scored 18 off 9 balls.
Krishnamurthi, who was dropped by Mukhtar Ahmed at 13 in the second over, reached his fifty off 28 balls in the eighth over. Meanwhile, Josh Inglis delivered a blistering innings of 45 runs off 17 balls, featuring six sixes and just one four. He smashed three consecutive sixes off Jack Edwards in the ninth over, reducing the target to 67 runs needed from 30 balls.
Tye, who was hit for two sixes by Inglis in the second and third balls of his second over, had the last laugh as he dismissed Inglis on the fourth ball and went on to strike again, removing Sherfane Rutherford on the last ball of the 10th over.
Krishnamurthi then took charge of the run chase, teaming up with Hassan Khan to score 33 runs in the next two overs, reducing the target to 22 runs needed from 12 balls. Riding on stunning momentum, both batters chased down the target with ease with two balls to spare.
Earlier in the contest, Steve Smith and Travis Head gave Washington Freedom a flying start, amassing 70 runs in the Powerplay. The pair brought up the team's 100-run mark in the 9.3 over. However, Smith was dismissed by Corey Anderson on the next ball, scoring a remarkable 56 off 31 balls.
Head continued his red-hot form as he reached his fourth successive fifty in 34 balls, but was also dismissed by Anderson in the 12th over after scoring 56 off 36 balls, leaving Washington at 122/2.
Rachin Ravindra then played a quick cameo, scoring 16 off 6 balls before getting run out in the 14th over. Gous (29* off 20) continued to find timely boundaries until rain halted play after 15.3 overs, with Washington at 174/3. The match was then shifted to a 14-over chase for San Francisco.
Having finished in the top two, both Washington Freedom and San Francisco square off against each other in the Qualifier on July 25 at 0730 PM Local Time at Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas.
Brief Scores:
Washington Freedom 174/3 in 15.3 overs (Steve Smith 56, Travis Head 56, Corey Anderson 2-20) lost to San Francisco Unicorns 177/4 in 13,4 overs (Sanjay Krishnamurthi 79 not out, Josh Inglis 45, Andrew Tye 3-41) by 6 wickets (DLS method).