MLC 2025
Ian Holland returned figures of 4 for 19 © MLC
After a big defeat in the season opener, Washington Freedom bounced back with a commanding five-wicket win over Seattle Orcas at the Oakland Coliseum. Chasing a modest 146, the defending champions made light work of the target, polishing it off with 6.3 overs to spare.
The chase was set up in the powerplay itself as Mitchell Owen and Rachin Ravindra added 90 runs in the first six overs, their best powerplay score in MLC history. Owen (25 off 11) set the tone with a six off the very first ball while Ravindra chipped in with an aggressive 44 off 18 balls. Despite both falling in quick succession, the platform had already been laid.
Freedom lost a few wickets towards the end in trying to finish the game quickly but captain Glenn Maxwell ensured no hiccups and took his side over the line with an unbeaten 38 off 20 balls.
Earlier, Seattle opted to bat first on what looked like a good batting surface with pace and bounce. David Warner and Kyle Mayers justified the decision initially, racing to 60/0 in 5.1 overs. Warner made 31 off 17, and Mayers made 27 off 17, but once both fell in quick succession, the innings unravelled.
Ian Holland (4 for 19) then used his slower balls and clever variations to dismantle the middle order, and Seattle slumped from 95/2 to 145/9. Jack Edwards, who picked the wickets of Warner and Steven Taylor, returned figures of 2 for 24 even as Sikandar Raza failed to get going, ending with 15 off 26 balls.
Brief Scores: Seattle Orcas 145/9 in 20 overs (David Warner 31, Kyle Mayers 27; Ian Holland 4-19, Jack Edwards 2-24) lost to Washington Freedom 149/5 in 13.3 overs (Rachin Ravindra 44, Glenn Maxwell 38*; Waqar Salamkheil 2-27) by 5 wickets
© Cricbuzz
