MLC: Ravindra, Head, Maxwell shine as Washington Freedom reach finals following win over San Francisco Unicorns

Dallas [Texas], July 26 : Washington Freedom registered an emphatic 7-wicket win over the San Francisco Unicorns in the Qualifier of the Major League Cricket (MLC) 2024 at Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas on Thursday to reach the title clash.
Rachin Ravindra's 4/11 helped the Washington Freedom bowl out the San Francisco Unicorns for 145 before chasing down their target in 16 overs, thanks to unbeaten knocks from Travis Head (77* off 44, with 10 fours and three sixes) and Glenn Maxwell (54* off 23, with four boundaries and five sixes), as per a press release from MLC.
With this victory, the Washington Freedom became the first team to reach the final of the MLC. The San Francisco Unicorns will now face the Texas Super Kings in the Challenger for a place in the summit clash.
After a challenging innings with the bat, Pat Cummins got the San Francisco Unicorns off to a great start with the ball. He removed Steve Smith (1 off 3) in the second over and bowled a maiden in the fourth over. However, Carmi le Roux was unable to provide the necessary support as Travis Head batted aggressively for Washington Freedom. Head scored 31 runs off le Roux's two overs and added another 13 runs off Haris Rauf to end the Powerplay at 52/1.
Andries Gous (9 off 14 balls) lost his wicket cheaply to Hassan Khan in the seventh over, and Rachin Ravindra followed in the ninth over after scoring just 3 off 9 balls, leaving Washington at 64/3.
Head brought up his fifth consecutive fifty in 28 balls during the 10th over. He, along with Glenn Maxwell, accelerated the run chase as Washington crossed the 100-run mark in the 13th over. They both kept finding timely boundaries and eventually took the Washington Freedom over the line in 16 overs.
Earlier in the day, the San Francisco Unicorns had a terrible start after being invited to bat first. They lost four wickets even before reaching the 50-run mark.
Marco Jansen struck twice, removing Finn Allen (6 off 4 balls) in the very first over and dismissing Josh Inglis (8 off 7 balls) in the sixth over. Meanwhile, Saurabh Netravalkar took the wicket of Jake Fraser-McGurk (11 off 11 balls) in the fourth over, while Rachin Ravindra trapped Sanjay Krishnamurthi (19 off 19 balls) LBW in the seventh over, leaving the Unicorns at 49/4 after seven overs.
Sherfane Rutherford (6 off 9 balls) soon followed them back to the pavilion, but Hassan Khan and Corey Anderson tried to steady the ship, adding a crucial 61 runs off 35 balls. However, Anderson was dismissed on the last ball of the 16th over by Jansen after scoring 26 off 19, leaving the Unicorns at 127/6.
Khan, on the other hand, reached his half-century in 34 balls in the 19th over, but Ravindra, who took two wickets in the 18th over, dismissed him on the first ball of the last over. Khan played a vital knock of 57 off 36 balls, with six sixes taking the Unicorns to a respectable total of 145.
Brief Scores: Washington Freedom (Travis Head 77* off 44, Glenn Maxwell 54* off 23, Hassan Khan 2/32) beat San Francisco Unicorns 145/10 (Hassan Khan 57 off 36, Corey Anderson 26 off 19, Rachin Ravindra 4/11) by 7 Wickets.