Ben Dwarshuise’s late blitz keeps the Washington Freedom alive and ends the Texas Super Kings’ playoff hopes

Ben Dwarshuis produced a stunning late cameo to lead the Washington Freedom to a dramatic three-wicket victory over the Texas Super Kings in Major League Cricket, a result that kept his side firmly in the play-offs while knocking the Super Kings out of contention. The Washington Freedom appeared to be chasing 166 before suffering a dramatic collapse. Having slipped from 79 for 1 after eight overs to 107 for 6 in 16, Dwarshuis had a tough task ahead of him alongside Obus Pienaar. With 52 runs needed from the last four overs, Dwarshuis turned the game around in spectacular fashion. He launched a counter-attack in the 17th over, smashing two towering sixes, while Pienaar also cleared the ropes as the pair plundered 22 runs to swing the momentum. Adam Milne briefly restored some pressure by conceding just five runs from the first five balls of the next over, but Dwarshuis used a low full toss off the final delivery to drive it to the boundary to keep the Freedom on course. Although Pienaar left in the penultimate crossing, Dwarshuis remained calm. With 10 needed from the last over, he picked Milne’s slower delivery and smashed him straight down the ground for a decisive six before completing the chase with two balls. His unbeaten 38 came from just 16 deliveries and included two fours and three sixes. Earlier, it looked like the Texas Super Kings would have a much bigger total after Faf du Plessis and Saiteja Mukkamalla put on an opening partnership of 93 in just 9.2 overs. Du Plessis top-scored with 61 while Mukkamalla contributed 47. Despite a strong foundation, the innings lost momentum as wickets fell regularly through the middle overs. The biggest setback came at the death, where Texas lost six wickets for just 33 runs, allowing the Freedom to restrict them to 165. Mitchell Owen, Rachin Ravindra and Nikhil Chaudhary claimed two wickets to trigger the collapse. The chase for freedom also got off to a positive start despite the early dismissal of Mitchell Owen. Rachin Ravindra and Steve Smith added 60 runs in just 30 balls to keep the required pace in check before Akeal Hosein broke the partnership. This triggered a collapse of the middle order, but Dwarshuis ensured it did not prove decisive. The win lifted the Washington Freedom into fourth place with 10 points, tied with the top three teams, separated by net run rate. Seattle Orcas, who have eight points, need to beat table-toppers San Francisco Unicorns in their final league game to keep their playoff hopes alive. Short Score: Texas Super Kings 165 (Faf du Plessis 61, Saiteja Mukkamalla 47; Mitchell Owen 2/19, Rachin Ravindra 2/20, Nikhil Chaudhary 2/30) lost to Washington Freedom 166/7 in 19.4 overs (Steve Smithshuise 46, 2/3 Ben Dwar Dian Forrester 2/28) by three wickets.