MLC 2023 | Washington Freedom Thrilling Win in a Close Encounter Against Texas Super Kings
Anrich Nortje played a major role in Washington Freedom's win (Source: Twitter)
In Match 5, Washington Freedom put up a sensational performance and held their nerves at the last moment to win a thrilling game against Texas Super Kings. Washington Freedom beat Texas Super Kings by a narrow margin of 6 runs, and it was their first victory of the Major League Cricket 2023. Washington Freedom opted to bat first after winning the toss, they had a decent start, scoring 30 runs in the first three overs but after that it was all about Matt Short magnificent batting display in Texas.
Because of his vital contribution Washington Freedom put up a fighting total of 163 runs for the loss of 5 wickets. Gerald Coetzee again shined for Texas, he bowled a terrific spell and a wicket-maiden over, which is very rare in T20 cricket. He grabbed 2 wickets and gave just 26 runs in his 4 overs, whereas experienced DJ Bravo and the leggie, Mohsin also picked a wicket each.
While Chasing, Texas did not have a good start yet again, this time they lost Devon Conway very early in the first over and captain Faf also fell just after a few overs. It was solely DJ Bravo, who kept the hopes alive till the very end but Texas fell short by 6 runs.
Batting Brilliance: Matt Short, Masterclass at the Crease
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Matt Short's Wagon Wheel Analysis
Matt Short played a high-class innings against Texas, he scored 80 runs including 10 fours and 3 sixes. He did not get the support at the other end from anyone but that did not stop him batting flawlessly at one end, because of his batting brilliance, Washington freedom won their first game of the season.
Matt Short targeted the mid and deep mid-wicket region, scoring most of his runs (25) in that area. He also played a few powerful shots through cover and deep-extra cover, scoring (12) runs and same amount of runs (12) in third man region. In the long off region he scored 11 runs with the help of a boundary.
Matt Short is an aggressive top-order batsman, he had a fantastic last two seasons in the big bash league, and now Washington Freedom are very much reliant on him at the top-order.
Champion's Timelessness: DJ Bravo's Magnificent Display
Firstly with the ball in hand, Bravo showed his unmatched skills in the death overs, and soon after with the bat, he played one of his best T20 innings at the age of 39 years. He is definitely ageing like fine wine.
Dwayne Bravo scored 76* runs in a run-chase, including 5 fours and 6 sixes, and one amongst them was of 106m, the longest six of the season so far. Texas required 27 runs from the last over of Anrich Nortje, Bravo tried his level best, scoring 21 runs in the last over and Texas fell short just by a big hit. The Texas Super Kings are hoping to see a few more amazing all-round performances from their most experienced player.
Conclusion
This defeat will be an eye-opener for the Texas Super Kings. Their batting unit is not performing consistently, in both the matches, their local players failed to utilise the chances. Texas, also looking for their captain Faf Du Plessis to score some runs in the coming matches. However, Washington Freedom played like a complete unit and won the important game, although their batting line-up is still a thing of concern for them.
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