TOURNAMENT REVIEW
Follow UsWashington Freedom’s (WF) dominant run in the Major League Cricket (MLC) 2024 ended with a deserving win in the final, hammering San Francisco Unicorns (SFU) by a massive margin of 96 runs.
After being asked to bat first, Travis Head and Steven Smith, who have been the best batters of MLC 2024 were not able to give a good start as the former was dismissed for nine in the second over. Captain Smith stood at one end and got great support from Andries Gous, Rachin and Glenn Maxwell, bringing their side into the game.
Maxwell & Smith’s aggressive 83-run partnership between over 11-17 pushed Washington’s potential total from 180 to 200+. Maxwell’s 40 of 22 and final over fireworks from Mukhtar Ahmed and Obus Pienaar resulted in Washington Freedom posting a huge total of 207/5 at the end of 20 overs. Pat Cummins was the pick of the bowlers for San Francisco as he finished with 2/35, while Hassan Khan, Haris Rauf and Juanoy Drysdale picked up a wicket apiece.
Chasing 208, the San Francisco Unicorns lost their youthful top order in the first five overs as Marco Jansen sent back both openers in Jake Fraser-McGurk and Finn Allen early. The Washington bowlers gave no room for San Francisco batters to open their arms as they ran through their batting line-up, bowling them out for just 111 runs and clinching their first-ever MLC Title. Jansen and Rachin picked up three wickets each with Tye taking two and Maxwell and Netravalkar sharing one wicket each.
With complete domination in batting, bowling and fielding, Washington Freedom led by Smith and coached by Ricky Ponting won the second edition of Major League Cricket.
Final: Washington Freedom beat San Francisco Unicorns by 96 runs
Top performers of MLC 2024
Hits of MLC 2024
Travis Head (Washington Freedom)
Travis Head had an outstanding MLC 2024. Making his debut in MLC, Head came in with a huge reputation for being a destructive opener after his heroics in IPL 2024 and ICC T20WC 2024. He lived up to the hype as the South Australian smashed 336 runs at a massive strike rate of 174. He smashed five consecutive fifties and outplayed the oppositions almost single handedly. Apart from winning the championship, he was awarded the “Player of the Tournament” award for his match-winning knocks.
Steven Smith (Washington Freedom)
Steven Smith redeemed himself in T20 cricket through a championship-winning season for Washington Freedom. He stepped up as both batter and captain as he led his team to the title, winning seven of the nine games. With the bat, he proved his mettle as an opener. He smashed 336 runs at an average of 56 with a strike rate of 149, smashing three fifties, with the most important one coming in the final.
Saurabh Netravalkar (Washington Freedom)
Saurabh Netravalkar had an excellent season. He was the highest wicket-taker with 15 wickets in seven innings at an outstanding strike rate of 10.5. The experience of playing the big teams in ICC T20WC 2024 helped Netravalkar become an even better bowler in MLC 2024.
Rashid Khan (MI New York)
Rashid Khan was one of the few positives for the relatively below-par season for inaugural champions MI New York. He showcased his all-round capabilities as he picked up 10 wickets, maintaining a good economy of 6.2. He stepped up the bat, too, scoring 162 runs in seven innings with two fifties. His strike rate of 178 with the bat was the third-best for a batter in MLC 2024.
Misses of MLC 2024
Sunil Narine (LA Knight Riders)
Sunil Narine had a horror season with both bat and ball. With the bat, he scored just 27 runs in six innings at an average of just 4.5, which is the lowest for a batter this season. He did not even reach a double-digit score in any of the six games. As a bowler, he managed just five wickets in six innings, even though he put the batters under pressure with an economy of 6.2. His failure with bat and ball impacted his captaincy as the LA Knight Riders failed to qualify for the playoffs.
Kieron Pollard (MI New York)
Kieron Pollard, too, was another captain who was a burden on his own team during MLC 2024. Leading MI New York, the big West Indian managed just 64 runs in seven innings. He averaged 12.6 and scored at a strike rate of 98, which was un-Pollard-like. He picked up five wickets in seven games as the occasional bowler. His overall performance did not live up to a captain’s standards.
Jake Fraser McGurk (San Francisco Unicorns)
The Victorian sensation Jake Fraser McGurk had an MLC to forget as he was one of the least impactful players for the eventual runners-up, San Francisco Unicorns. In seven innings, he managed just 81 runs at an average of 11.6. He had a below-par strike rate of 126 and failed to cross even 20 runs in the seven innings.
Haris Rauf (San Francisco Unicorns)
Haris Rauf had a quiet MLC 2024, as he managed just four wickets in nine games. His economy was also on the higher side as he gave away runs at 9.1 runs/over. His bowling strike rate of 48.5 was the worst for a bowler in MLC 2024. He went wicketless in six of the nine games.
Breakout performers in MLC 2024
Hassan Khan (San Francisco Unicorns)
The 25-year-old all-rounder Hassan Khan had a breakout performance in MLC 2024. Representing San Francisco Unicorns, the attacking batter came at the lower order (6-8) and smashed 204 runs at an average of 40.8 with a strike rate of 144. With the ball, the left-arm spinner picked up 10 wickets in seven innings with an economy of 7.1 and a strike rate of 13.2. He was a standout performer for his team as he was their highest wicket-taker and second-highest run-scorer over Matt Short, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Josh Inglis and others.
Unique Statistical Milestones
Australian players to score five consecutive fifties in a T20 tournament
David Warner - IPL 2019
Travis Head - MLC 2024
Highest win% for an Australian Captain in T20Is (50+ matches)
64.1 - Ashton Turner
63.3 - Steven Smith
62.2 - Adam Voges
61.3 - Moises Henriques
61.1 - Daniel Christian
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