Match Centre

Statistics

Best performances - Batsmen

TM Head
TM Head
77(44) 10x4 - 3x6
Control %65%
  • Productive Shot
  • cut shot
  • 20 runs
  • 4x4 - 0x6
8 25 13 8 4 1 6 12
Hassan Khan
Hassan Khan
57(36) 0x4 - 6x6
Control %83%
  • Productive Shot
  • on drive
  • 20 runs
  • 0x4 - 3x6
2 2 1 2 3 21 15 11

Best performances - Bowlers

R Ravindra
R Ravindra
O2.4
M1
R11
W4
Eco4.12
RHB
OFFLEG
1W1W2W
  • FTFULL TOSS
  • YYORKER
  • FFULL LENGTH
  • GGOOD LENGTH
  • SGSHORT OF GOOD LENGTH
  • SSHORT LENGTH
LHB
LEGOFF
M Jansen
M Jansen
O4
M0
R46
W3
Eco11.50
RHB
OFFLEG
1W
1W
  • FTFULL TOSS
  • YYORKER
  • FFULL LENGTH
  • GGOOD LENGTH
  • SGSHORT OF GOOD LENGTH
  • SSHORT LENGTH
LHB
LEGOFF
1W

Scorer: Binoy George | Commentator: Shashwat Kumar

11:10pm That brings us to the end of our coverage for this game. Washington are through to the final and they now await the winner of the Challenger, which is scheduled for tomorrow between the San Francisco Unicorns and the Texas Super Kings. We hope to have your company for that encounter too, and until then, this is goodbye from Binoy, me and everyone else at ESPNcricinfo. Take care, folks!

Travis Head, Player of the Match: (What has helped his form) Batting in the powerplay (smiles). Nice to get a match-winning score and looking forward to a few days off. My job is to get us off to a good start and get a fast start. Few wickets fell today, so tried to take my time a little more. That (attacking in the powerplay) is the role I have been given and it is working. Really good wicket (here in Texas), swung a bit today. Felt there were a few vulnerable stages with the high-risk shots but that can happen. (On the message from head coach Ricky Ponting and the support staff) Left me alone, let me do my thing. Nice that I have been able to repay (their faith).

Steve Smith, Washington Freedom captain: It has been good fun, we have a good bunch of guys. They gelled together really quickly. Really good campaign, helps when you win games of cricket along the way. Nice to win tonight and get to the big dance. (On the instructions to the bowlers with the new ball) Just try and take wickets. With the new ball, on this wicket, you have to try and take inroads. It gets easier as the innings goes on. The bowlers did a magnificent job. It was a few under-par. Then Travis and Maxi played unbelievably well. Travis has been in unbelievable form for a while and he just keeps on going. He is clear, confident, and sees the ball and hits it. He has really good bat speed, when he hits it, the ball flies. He is getting into good positions and he is playing beautifully. Hopefully one more big knock from him (in the final).

Corey Anderson, San Francisco Unicorns captain: Always tough when you lose four wickets early on. We gave ourselves a chance but we were 20-30 runs short. In other games, we were able to defend that. Head played an unbelievable innings and then Maxwell came out, put the icing on the cake. We were short of our best. The way our line-up is, the way they play their best is when they go hard and take risks. With risks, there can be failures but you cannot get down too low. We pick ourselves quickly and go again tomorrow.

Rachin Ravindra: (On his bowling) It was good. Smudge trusts me in those little moments. Boys had a good powerplay, was able to bash a length and happy it worked out. My role as a sixth bowler, sometimes I may not get to bowl but today, the match-ups were there. Just about working hard (and being ready). I want to continue being a genuine all-rounder. Good for the team if I can bat in the top three-four and then bowl a few overs. Great thing about franchise cricket these days is you can soak in as much as you can. Be a sponge, learn what they do, the processes they do. Learning from those guys (like Head) is great. I am still learning on the role, good to have guys around me who have done it. For me, it is about learning from each experience and it can only help me as a cricketer playing these different roles.

10:50pm A professional and a bruising run-chase, spearheaded and headlined by two of Australia's finest white-ball cricketers at the moment. Head did the bulk of the early lifting, demolishing the Unicorns inside the powerplay, even as Smith fell early and Gous struggled for rhythm. There was a brief lull after the field restrictions were lifted but the tempo was picked up towards the end, with Maxwell finding some form with the willow. He smashed 54 off 23 and ensured that Washington iced the chase with more than four overs to spare.

A bad day at the office for the Unicorns. They did not have enough runs on the board and were always playing catch-up in the second innings. They lacked penetration too and could not maximise the longer boundary to one side. Cummins and Hassan were among the wickets, and that was perhaps it as far as their bowling display was concerned.

15.3
4
Haris Rauf to Maxwell, FOUR, and Maxwell finishes it with another powerful blow! Washington Freedom march into the MLC final! Half-tracker outside off. Maxwell lines it up really early and belts it over mid on to seal the deal. Smiles and embraces all around in the Washington Freedom camp, and this has been a walk in the park for them!

Score level

15.2
6
Haris Rauf to Maxwell, SIX, this is outrageous batting! Short on middle and off. Maxwell is ready for it and gets into a very similar position. Front hip opened up and he smacks it flat into the cushion in the deep mid wicket region! Brings up his fifty too!
15.1
4
Haris Rauf to Maxwell, FOUR, my word, that has gone to the fence like a tracer bullet! Dug into the track on leg stump. Maxwell knows it is coming and opens up his stance, swatting it away like a fly, into the deep square leg fence!

Rauf returns. Washington need 11 to make the final and they have 30 balls to do so

END OF OVER:
15 | 15 Runs | WSF: 135/3 (11 runs required from 30 balls, RR: 9.00, RRR: 2.20)

  • Glenn Maxwell40 (20b)
  • Travis Head77 (44b)
  • Hassan Khan4-0-32-2
  • Corey Anderson1-0-15-0
14.6
1
Hassan Khan to Maxwell, 1 run, very full on off. Maxwell cannot get under this too and drives it to long on
14.5
0
Hassan Khan to Maxwell, no run, into the blockhole just outside off. Maxwell cannot jam down on it and is lucky the ball does not kiss the outside of off stump

Just 12 needed now

14.4
6
Hassan Khan to Maxwell, SIX, fetch that too! Slowed up considerably and hung up wide outside off. Does not matter to Maxwell, though. Reaches out, holds his shape and biffs it over long on!

Major League Cricket News

Washington 2nd innings Partnerships

WktRunsPlayers
1st2SPD SmithTM Head
2nd51AGS GousTM Head
3rd11TM HeadR Ravindra
4th85GJ MaxwellTM Head