END OF OVER:
5 | 3 Runs 1 Wkt | WSF: 44/4 (45 runs required, RR: 8.80)

  • Glenn Phillips18 (11b)
  • Obus Pienaar1 (1b)
  • Noor Ahmad2-0-14-1
  • Akeal Hosein2-0-18-1

That concludes our coverage of MLC action for today. Thank you for tuning in. Be sure to join us again tomorrow for more MLC matches. Until then, this is Rashad Mahbub signing off on behalf of Chandan Duorah and the rest of the ESPNcricinfo crew. Goodnight and goodbye.

Marcus Stoinis: "It's good for our result. The boys did really well. Don [Donovan] said it a lot. Akeal bowled brilliantly. So, I can't complain. [Bat first or second in short games] I think always in a short game, you want to chase and see what you're chasing. But when you make that many runs, it obviously puts a lot of pressure on the other team. And then once we used Akeal and saw that it was spinning and holding a little bit, that made it pretty easy for the rest of the innings to know who to bowl, at least. [Tactical retirement] I think it's going to be used more and more. I think today was an extenuating circumstance. I mean, in only a five-over game, Darryl hardly faced a ball; he got caught up on the striker's end, and it was more about the fact that we had Don that we were saving from the first two overs and wanted to send him in for the last three overs that we thought was a good chance of happening anyway. It just so happened that it was Daryl who had to come off and make way. But I wouldn't read too much into it from that point of view. But it is something that's coming to the game a bit more. [Bowling spinners] We were always planning on bowling Akeal, at least one in those first two [overs]. And then it was going to be a judgement from there and how the wicket played. Obviously, he bowled a brilliant over. And then it seemed quite clear that we could use our spinners through there. Very important points. I don't know where it puts us; maybe second on the ladder now. So although it was a five-over game, it was important, and we took the points, and we're obviously happy."

Most Valuable Player, Donovan Ferreira: "Feeling good. [Live for hitting sixes] Yeah, I lost to Flem [Fleming] on the golf course. I needed to make some money back, so I needed the performance in to get the award today. So I'm glad I did it for the team, especially in such a close game. We needed to get a high score because they have explosive batters. [Retirement discussion of Mitchell] Flem obviously said, Be ready. We're going to take Mitch [Mitchell] out. So obviously it's never nice taking a player out. But hopefully he understands it's for the better of the team. And luckily for us, tonight, it paid off. And I think it's just one of those nights. It really came off. We did a lot of analysis in terms of their bowlers, hitting the deck hard. I watched the game last night. They were just hitting the deck. So we knew they were going to start over there, and then they were going to go fuller if they had been under pressure. [Bigger six] Well, I don't know if that's 106 six metres; it looked way further than that, but the one at the Wanderers is on the roof and was quite big as well in SA20, so I don't know. I need to get a rangefinder and get the real distance."

Glenn Maxwell: "[Not bowling any spinners] Well, if we were able to change our team, we might have put one in there. I think they probably had two quality high-class spinners, and we had two all-rounders, so we were trying to go with what worked. and the first three overs went to plan. they bowled really nicely, and I thought it was the right decision to bowl those two guys the next two overs. They obviously had the score on the board. It was always going to be a tough ask, and you need a lot to go right. When you're chasing a score like that, and unfortunately, we just weren't able to get any sort of momentum throughout the innings. As I said, two quality spinners on a wicket that's obviously going to turn, and unfortunately, we didn't really have that available to us."

11:05 pm What a performance by the Texas Super Kings, who earned an emphatic victory and moved up to second place in the standings! The Washington Freedom's run chase collapsed early, losing two quick wickets in the first over and immediately feeling the pressure. Akeal then removed the dangerous Mitch Owen in the very next over, a moment that truly put the game out of their reach. The Super Kings' spin pair, Noor and Akeal, were simply brilliant, bowling with incredible discipline and not allowing the Freedom batters to go big. Burger picked up a couple of wickets, with Akeal and Noor each taking one.

Texas Super Kings won by 43 runs

4.6
1
Noor Ahmad to Phillips, 1 run, Tossed up length ball plays across the line and inside edged to square leg for a single.
4.5
0
Noor Ahmad to Phillips, no run, Generously flighted in the air around off, Phillips tries to go downtown and miscues the stroke towards long off. Mitchell covered his ground moving to his left side and takes a spectacular diving low catch forward. He isn't sure whether he took it cleanly or not. The on-field umpire sends it upstairs for another check. The third umpire checks it for quite some time from different angles and decides to call Not Out as the ball hits the ground before Mitchell grasped it.
4.4
0
Noor Ahmad to Phillips, no run, Length ball non-turner wide outside off, swing and a miss by Phillips
4.3
1
Noor Ahmad to Pienaar, 1 run, Full and overpitched ball on the pads, plays the paddle sweep and hits the pads, massive appeal turned down by the umpire. Stoinis opts to send it upstairs. Ultra Edge confirmed a tickle off the bat before the ball hits the pads, Pienaar survives. Super Kings lose their first review.

Obus Pienaar in

4.2
W
Noor Ahmad to Gous, OUT, Gone through the gates and disturbs the furniture! Generously flighted length ball turning in on middle-leg, Gous gets underneath the line of the ball, swings his bat at it, misses the line of the ball, and is beaten by the turn, the bails are flying!

AGS Gous b Noor Ahmad 6 (7b 0x4 0x6) SR: 85.71

4.1
1
Noor Ahmad to Phillips, 1 run, Slight fuller length ball plays the reverse sweep and turns it down to short third

Noor to bowl the last over

END OF OVER:
4 | 12 Runs | WSF: 41/3 (48 runs required from 6 balls, RR: 10.25, RRR: 48.00)

  • Andries Gous6 (6b)
  • Glenn Phillips16 (7b)
  • Akeal Hosein2-0-18-1
  • Noor Ahmad1-0-11-0
3.6
2
Hosein to Gous, 2 runs, back of a length arm ball on the stumps, creates room outside leg and punches over the covers, completes the double

Washington 2nd innings Partnerships

WktRunsPlayers
1st12R RavindraMJ Owen
2nd0GJ MaxwellMJ Owen
3rd6GD PhillipsMJ Owen
4th24AGS GousGD Phillips
5th2AJ PienaarGD Phillips