WAF vs SFU: Washington Freedom clinch maiden Major Cricket League title after defeating San Francisco Unicorns by 96 runs.
SFU skipper Corey Anderson chose to bowl first after winning the toss, and initially, it looked like the decision paid off as Pat Cummins picked up the wicket of Travis Head in the second over of the final. But Steve Smith didn’t let the wicket celebration go on and started smashing the bowlers all over the park; meanwhile, Andries Gous and Rachin Ravindra got out after scoring some runs for their team. Skipper Steve Smith got the support of Glenn Maxwell as both batters boosted the run rate of their team. SFU’s bowlers had no answer to the beating. Steve Smith scored 88 runs before getting out, and Glenn Maxwell scored 40. WAF posted 207/5 on the board at the end of 20 overs.
Chasing the target of 208 runs, SFU’s start wasn’t great, as both openers Finn Allen and Jake Fraser-McGurk got out early in the powerplay. Inside the powerplay, SFU lost three wickets with a score of 43. WAF bowlers maintained the pressure on SFU’s batters and didn’t let them score quick runs. Skipper Corey Anderson also failed to score big for his team, and eventually, they lost the match by 96 runs as WAF bowled out SFU in 16 overs.
MLC 2024 Final: WAF vs SFU| Batting Scorecard
| BATTING(Washington Freedom) | R | B | 4s | 6s | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travis Head | c Allen b Cummins | 9 | 6 | 2 | 0 | ||||
| Steven Smith (c) | c †Inglis b Cummins | 88 | 52 | 7 | 6 | ||||
| Andries Gous | c Allen b Hassan Khan | 21 | 14 | 3 | 1 | ||||
| Rachin Ravindra | b Haris Rauf | 11 | 9 | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Glenn Maxwell | c †Inglis b Drysdale | 40 | 22 | 1 | 4 | ||||
| Mukhtar Ahmed | not out | 19 | 9 | 2 | 1 | ||||
| Obus Pienaar | not out | 13 | 9 | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Extras | (b 1, lb 1, nb 1, w 3) | 6 | |||||||
| TOTAL | 20 Ov (RR: 10.35) | 207/5 | |||||||
| BATTING(San Francisco Unicorns) | R | B | 4s | 6s | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finn Allen | b Jansen | 13 | 13 | 2 | 0 | ||||
| Jake Fraser-McGurk | b Jansen | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Sanjay Krishnamurthi | c Head b Netravalkar | 13 | 9 | 3 | 0 | ||||
| Josh Inglis | b Tye | 18 | 11 | 2 | 1 | ||||
| Sherfane Rutherford | c Holland b Maxwell | 4 | 9 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Hassan Khan | c Ravindra b Jansen | 13 | 6 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Corey Anderson (c) | c Holland b Tye | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Pat Cummins | lbw b Ravindra | 13 | 7 | 0 | 2 | ||||
| Haris Rauf | st †Gous b Ravindra | 7 | 8 | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Carmi le Roux | not out | 20 | 19 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Juanoy Drysdale | b Ravindra | 5 | 6 | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Extras | (lb 1, w 1) | 2 | |||||||
| TOTAL | 16 Ov (RR: 6.93) | 111 | |||||||
MLC 2024 Final: WAF vs SFU| Bowling Scorecard
| BOWLING(San Francisco Unicorns) | O | M | R | W | 0s | 4s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carmi le Roux | 4 | 0 | 40 | 0 | 9 | 5 | 2 |
| Pat Cummins | 4 | 0 | 35 | 2 | 11 | 3 | 2 |
| Hassan Khan | 4 | 0 | 42 | 1 | 8 | 5 | 2 |
| Haris Rauf | 4 | 0 | 41 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 3 |
| Juanoy Drysdale | 4 | 0 | 47 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 3 |
| BOWLING(Washington Freedom) | O | M | R | W | 0s | 4s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marco Jansen | 4 | 1 | 28 | 3 | 14 | 4 | 1 |
| Saurabh Netravalkar | 4 | 0 | 33 | 1 | 10 | 4 | 1 |
| Glenn Maxwell | 2 | 0 | 14 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| Andrew Tye | 2 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 1 |
| Rachin Ravindra | 4 | 0 | 23 | 3 | 14 | 1 | 2 |
MLC 2024 Final: WAF vs SFU| Award Winners| Stats
Player of the match(WAF vs SFU): Steve Smith(Washington Freedom), 88 runs off 52 balls
Most Runs scored(WAF vs SFU): Steve Smith(Washington Freedom), 88 runs off 52 balls
Best Spell(WAF vs SFU): Rachin Ravindra(Washington Freedom), 3/23 in 4 Overs
Stake Most Valuable Player(WAF vs SFU): Steve Smith(Washington Freedom)
Player of the tournament: Travis Head(Washington Freedom)
MLC 2024 Final: WAF vs SFU| Captains’ Corner
Extremely disappointed. You turn up and have aspirations of winning the trophy. We were well off the mark (tonight). (On the bowling in the middle overs) I think it is tough when you try to focus on one or two guys. Match-winners throughout and Smudge had a good day, Maxi too. They are some of the best players in the world. I think our plans were fine but we did not execute the way we needed to. We were still confident (at the half-way stage). Chasing that kind of total, you need a couple of boys to raise their hand and stand up. We faded very quickly in the piece. Don’t want to take anything away from how we played in the competition. The two best teams were playing the final.
Corey Anderson(SFU Captain) said post-match
Nice to contribute, been a really good season, have enjoyed leading these boys. Had a great time off the field, played plenty of golf. Had a really good time. We just talked about trusting our processes, especially in the playoffs. Playing the moment, playing each ball and not getting overawed. Really pleased for the boys, been a fun season. Some guys don’t get a game but they are a part of the squad and we try to make them feel a part of the squad. It can be hard and challenging. But everyone has had each other’s backs in this group. Everyone stood up at different times. Our batting was strong. Don’t think Marco even got a bat, batting at 8 and that showed how our top order and Travis at the top (batted). Made things easier for me. Netravalkar was outstanding, Lockie was outstanding. Everyone stood up at pressure moments throughout the tournament.
Steve Smith(WAF Captain) said post-match
Read latest Cricket updates on CrPatiNews
- IPL 2025, Match 39th, KKR vs GT: Weather Prediction And Pitch Report
KKR will play against Gujarat Titans in the 39th league match at Eden Gardens. - BCCI’s Lifetime Ban on Gurmeet Singh Bhamrah: A Wake-Up Call for Indian CricketThe world of Indian cricket is no stranger to controversy, but every now and then, a story comes along that hits a little differently. Recently,…
- IPL 2025, Match 38th, MI vs CSK: Match Results| Award Winners| Captains’ Corner| POTMMumbai Indians won their 4th game of the season by defeating CSK in the 38th match of the IPL 2025.
