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RESULT
Final (N), Dallas, July 28, 2024, Major League Cricket
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Washington won by 96 runs

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Smith, Maxwell star in Washington Freedom's emphatic title win

Smith, Maxwell and Head lead the charge for Washington, who lost just one game in MLC 2024

Andrew McGlashan
Andrew McGlashan
29-Jul-2024
Steven Smith led the way with a quick 81 at the top, Washington Freedom vs San Francisco Unicorns, MLC 2024, final, Dallas, July 28, 2024

Steven Smith led the way with a quick 81 at the top  •  MLC

Washington Freedom 207 for 5 (Smith 88, Maxwell 40) beat San Francisco Unicorns 111 (Ravindra 3-23, Jansen 3-28) by 96 runs
Steven Smith led Washington Freedom to the Major League Cricket (MLC) 2024 title as they romped to an overwhelming 96-run victory against San Francisco Unicorns in Dallas. Smith and Australia team-mate Glenn Maxwell dominated with the bat then Unicorns' chase disintegrated with Marco Jansen claiming both openers among his three wickets.
The result cemented Freedom's standing as the team of the season having secured five wins in the group stage before progressing direct to the final with victory over Unicorns in the Qualifier. This contest turned their way through a stand of 83 off 39 balls between Smith and Maxwell as Freedom added 121 in the second half of their innings.
Smith, who was overlooked for Australia's T20 World Cup squad earlier this year, overcame a sluggish start in the powerplay to make 88 off 52 balls including six sixes. Having been 10 off 12 balls in the sixth over he sped to a 34-ball fifty and ended the season as the joint second-leading run-scorer, alongside Travis Head, with 336 at a strike-rate of 148.67.
Head, who has struck at over 170 during the tournament, fell early to Pat Cummins when he edged to slip, where Finn Allen held on at the second attempt, having been given a life in the opening over. But Andries Gous gave Freedom's innings impetus as Smith found his feet although when Haris Rauf removed Rachin Ravindra after the midway mark, it was an even contest at 86 for 3.
Then Smith and Maxwell, the latter having found form in the closing stages of the tournament, took charge included 28 coming off the 13th over from Juanoy Drysdale. Smith produced an outrageous scoop for six off Rauf and was in sight of a century when he got a top edge off Cummins.
It appears likely that Smith's T20I career is over following his World Cup omission and absence from the squad to face Scotland and England in September as the selectors look to the future, but it has been a profitable few weeks for him in the US.
Though Maxwell also fell in the next over, superbly caught by Josh Inglis, Freedom were still able to cross 200.
Unicorns' chase never got off the ground. Jake Fraser-McGurk's low-key tournament ended when he edged into the stumps against Jansen to leave him with 81 runs at 11.57 then both Sanjay Krishnamurthi and Allen also fell inside the powerplay to leave a daunting task. Sherfane Rutherford was superbly caught at deep backward square by Ian Holland the ball after being dropped and the rest of the batting fell away amid a huge asking rate.
Freedom's victory gave Ricky Ponting a title as coach a couple of weeks after leaving his role with Delhi Capitals.

Andrew McGlashan is a deputy editor at ESPNcricinfo

Language
English
Win Probability
WSF 100%
WSFSF
100%50%100%WSF InningsSF Innings

Over 16 • SF 111/10

Juanoy Drysdale b Ravindra 5 (6b 1x4 0x6) SR: 83.33
W
Washington won by 96 runs
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Major League Cricket

TeamMWLPTNRR
WSF751111.891
SF751110.588
TSK73280.604
MI NY7245-0.451
LAKR7245-0.710
SEO7162-1.312