Washington Freedom's Dominant Victory Secures Final Spot

In the Qualifier of the MLC 2024, Washington Freedom comfortably defeated the San Francisco Unicorns, chasing a target of 146 with 27 balls and seven wickets in hand. Travis Head's unbeaten 77 off 44 balls, alongside Glenn Maxwell's 54 not out from 23 deliveries, anchored a professional chase. Rachin Ravindra shone with the ball, claiming four wickets for 11 runs, while Hassan Khan's all-round performance (57 off 36 and 2-32) couldn't prevent the Unicorns' defeat.

The match began with a bang as Finn Allen hit Marco Jansen for a four, only to be caught out two balls later. Sanjay Krishnamurthi also made an impact early, but an overstep by Jansen spared him from being bowled out. Jake Fraser-McGurk and Josh Inglis fell quickly, leaving the Unicorns at 49 for 3 by the end of the Powerplay.

Ravindra then dismissed Krishnamurthi and Rutherford in quick succession, putting the Unicorns in a precarious position. Corey Anderson and Hassan Khan attempted to salvage the innings, with Khan notably hitting Maxwell for a six and benefiting from a dropped catch by Ferguson. However, Anderson's dismissal to Jansen and Ravindra's dismantling of the tail ended the Unicorns' innings at 145, with Khan the only significant scorer, hitting six sixes.

In response, Freedom's chase was initially steady, despite losing Steven Smith early to Pat Cummins. Travis Head capitalised on a dropped chance, scoring freely alongside Maxwell. The duo guided the team to 50 in the Powerplay, with Head achieving his fifth consecutive T20 fifty, a record shared only with David Warner among Australians.

The Unicorns tried to stem the flow of runs, but Maxwell broke the deadlock, hitting two sixes off Hassan in the 11th over. Head and Maxwell continued to score freely, with Maxwell reaching his fifty in style, sealing the win with a six off Rauf.

Washington Freedom's victory propels them to the final, while the San Francisco Unicorns will face the Texas Super Kings in the Challenger on July 26.

Brief Scores:  

San Francisco Unicorns: 145 in 19 overs (Hassan Khan 57, Corey Anderson 26; Rachin Ravindra 4-11, Marco Jansen 3-46)  

Washington Freedom: 149/3 in 15.3 overs (Travis Head 77, Glenn Maxwell 54; Hassan Khan 2-32, Pat Cummins 1-19)  

Result: Washington Freedom won by 7 wickets.