Matthew Short’s unbeaten 121 goes in vain as Washington Freedom edge San Francisco Unicorns to book MLC final berth | Cricket News


Matthew Short's unbeaten 121 goes in vain as Washington Freedom overcome San Francisco Unicorns to book final MLC spot
San Francisco Unicorns captain Matt Short drives a delivery down the field during the game between the San Francisco Unicorns and the Washington Freedom at the Oakland Coliseum, Oakland, California, United States of America (USA). (Photo/sportzpics)

Washington Freedom held their nerve in the final overs to beat San Francisco Unicorns by seven runs in Eliminator 2 of Major League Cricket (MLC) on Friday, setting up a final against LA Knight Riders on Sunday (IST).Defending 238, the Liberty looked under pressure when the San Francisco captain Matthew Short produced an unbeaten 121 from 56 balls but Saurabh Netravalkar and Mitchell Owen sealed the game with disciplined final overs to deny the Unicorns a place in the title clash.The Liberty had elected to bat first and made the most of a strong start from their top order.Mitchell Owen hit 42 off 19 balls, while captain Steven Smith added 43 off 20 as the opening pair powered the side to 83/1 in the Powerplay. Andries Gous then anchored the innings with 73 off 40 deliveries, hitting eight fours and three sixes.Rachin Ravindra chipped in with 28 from just 14 balls as Liberty finished with 238/6 from their 20 overs.Xavier Bartlett was the pick of the Unicorns bowlers, taking 3 for 38 in his four overs.San Francisco’s run got off to a poor start as both openers fell early. Lhuan-dre Pretorius made 18 in 10 balls before departing, while Finn Allen managed 14 in nine.That left Short to carry the innings almost single-handedly. The skipper hit 11 fours and eight sixes during his unbeaten 121, keeping the required rate within reach despite wickets falling regularly at the other end.Bartlett also contributed with the bat, making 28 off 13 balls, and with two overs remaining, the Unicorns needed just 29 runs with Short well set.Freedom, however, turned the game around in the final stages.Netravalkar bowled a crucial 19th over, conceding just seven runs and leaving San Francisco needing 22 from the final over.Owen, who had leaked 28 runs in his first innings, bounced back when it mattered most. He gave away just 14 runs in the last over to seal a seven-run win and send Liberty into the final.It was another painful exit for the Unicorns, who also lost by a narrow margin in the Qualifier despite finishing top of the table. Their second chance to reach the finals slipped away as Freedom completed a successful defense of their total to book a meeting with LA Knight Riders in the championship game.



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