All-round performances by Glenn Maxwell and Rachin’s 4-fer helped Washington Freedom beat Texas Super Kings by 42 runs in their penultimate group match of the Major League Cricket 2024 season at Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas on Friday.

Maxwell took 3/42 with the ball as we dismissed TSK for 164. Rachin Ravindra registered his best figures in T20 cricket with impressive stats of 4/16, while Jasdeep Singh finished with three wickets as we continued our unbeaten run this season. Earlier, Maxwell scored 34 off 23 balls to power us to 206/5.

Travis Head smashed his third consecutive fifty to lead us to the highest total by any team in the MLC this season. Head amassed 53 off just 22 balls, hitting eight fours and two sixes. Meanwhile, our skipper Steve Smith scored 57 off 40 balls, including three sixes and two fours, to top-score in the contest.

Batting first, Head got into the act quickly with two boundaries in the first over of the innings. The southpaw continued unabated, scoring five fours and a six in just 10 balls, reaching his fifty in only 20 balls.

Head’s carnage pushed us to 74/2 at the end of the sixth over, equaling the second-highest powerplay score of MLC 2024. Although we lost three wickets in quick succession, Maxwell and Smith rebuilt our innings, adding 58 off 42 balls and taking us past the three-figure mark.

Maxwell was severe on the spinners, hitting all his boundaries—three sixes and a four—against the slower bowlers. After a cautious start, Smith shifted gears effortlessly, reaching his first fifty of the MLC in style with a reverse hit for four.

Smith, who was at 24 off 25 balls initially, smashed 33 runs off the next 14 balls before getting dismissed in the penultimate over. Obus Pienaar provided the finishing touches, scoring an unbeaten 21-ball 33 to take us past 200. Noor Ahmad picked up 3/38 for Texas Super Kings whereas Dwayne Bravo got two wickets.

In response, Maxwell once again provided the crucial breakthrough dismissing Devon Conway. However, TSK raced to 76/1 at the end of the powerplay. 

But we bounced back, picking up four wickets and conceding just 29 runs in the next six overs. Player of the Match Jasdeep dismissed TSK skipper du Plessis, who was looking in good nick, immediately after his fifty, to tilt the odds heavily in our favour.

Once Marcus Stoinis holed out in the deep to be Jasdeep’s third victim, there was no looking back as we romped home for our fifth victory of the season. Jasdeep recorded figures of 3/25 to round off a clinical bowling display.

With 11 points from six matches, we continue to be on top of the MLC 2024 points table. 

We are up against the San Francisco Unicorns in our last league match at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas on Monday.

Washington Freedom vs Texas Super Kings MLC 2024 brief scores: WF 206/5 in 20 overs (Steve Smith 57, Travis Head 53, Noor Ahmad 3/38, Dwayne Bravo 2/40) vs TSK 164/10 in 19.5 overs (Faf du Plessis 55, Calvin Savage 35, Rachin Ravindra 4/16, Jasdeep Singh 3/25). 

Washington Freedom won by 42 runs.