After being sent in to bat first, the New York side faced a shaky start as opener Monank Patel (5) departed early in the third over. Nicholas Pooran (1) followed suit, failing to make an impact with the bat.
Struggling to establish a formidable total, MI New York faced another setback when Shayan Jahangir (25) lost his wicket in the tenth over, as they were closing in on the 50-run mark. Nevertheless, Dewald Brevis and Tim David built a crucial partnership that steadied the ship for MI New York, propelling their team past the 100-run mark.
Despite losing the wickets of Tim David (23) and Dewald Brevis (57) in later overs, MI New York managed to post a total of 141 for the loss of seven wickets in their allocated 20 overs. Saurabh Netravalkar shone with the ball for Washington Freedom, taking two wickets, while Justin Dill, Akeal Hosein, and Marco Jansen picked up a wicket each.
In their chase, Washington Freedom endured a tumultuous start as opener Matthew Short (8) lost his wicket early in the third over. However, Andries Gous and Mukhtar Ahmed worked together to initiate a quick recovery.
Despite Gous’ decent start, he was unable to capitalise further, losing his wicket in the eighth over, as Washington approached the 50-run mark. The departure of Mukhtar Ahmed (19) and captain Moises Henriques (2) in quick succession further challenged Washington Freedom’s efforts to build a fruitful partnership.
Though Glenn Phillips’ (20) fighting knock gave the team hope, regular wickets falling hindered their progress. Akeal Hosein and Marco Jansen displayed resilience and guided Washington Freedom past the 100-run mark with a valiant partnership.
However, as pressure mounted, Hosein (11) and Jansen (28) lost their wickets in the eighteenth over, followed by Justin Dill (3) in the final over, ending Washington Freedom’s innings at 125 for the loss of nine wickets in their 20 overs.
MI New York’s victory came courtesy of their impressive bowling attack. Trent Boult showcased his world-class ability, taking four crucial wickets, while Nosthush Khenjige and David Wiese contributed with two and one wicket, respectively.
With this win, MI New York secured their spot in the Challenger match, the semifinal of the Major League Cricket, scheduled to take place on Friday. Meanwhile, the loss marked the end of Washington Freedom’s inaugural season campaign.
Brief Scores: MI New York 141/7 (Dewald Brevis 57, Shayan Jahangir 25, Saurabh Netravalkar 2/25) beat Washington Freedom 125/9 (Marco Jansen 28, Glenn Phillips 20, Trent Boult 4/20) by 16 runs.
(With inputs from ANI)