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DALLAS: Mitchell Owen and Andries Gous smashed fiery half-centuries to power Washington Freedom to a dominant victory over Texas Super Kings in the Major League Cricket (MLC) 2025 at Grand Prairie Stadium on Sunday.
The Freedom registered their fourth consecutive win in the MLC 2025, as they chased down a daunting 221-run target.
The win lifted Freedom to second place on the points table, continuing their impressive run in the tournament.
Chasing a mammoth total, Owen and Rachin Ravindra set the tone early, hammering five boundaries inside the first eight deliveries.
Ravindra departed during the powerplay, but Owen made Texas pay—twice dropped on 20 and 42, before finally falling for a match-defining 89 off 48 balls, laced with five sixes and eight fours.
Despite a sluggish phase where Freedom managed just 72 by the end of the eighth over, Owen capitalised on the lifelines, smashing Marcus Stoinis for back-to-back sixes and triggering a momentum shift.
The real assault came in the 12th and 13th overs as Noor Ahmad was clobbered for 22, followed by Gous tearing into Donovan Ferreira for 24 runs.
Owen’s dismissal briefly tilted the balance, but Gous (unbeaten on 80 off 37*) and Glenn Maxwell held their nerve at the death.
With five required in the final over, Glenn Phillips sealed the deal with a boundary off the fourth ball.
Earlier, Faf du Plessis continued his red-hot form with a blistering 69 off 31, leading Super Kings to 220-6.
He added 55 in just five overs with Smit Patel and got late support from Calvin Savage and Shubham Ranjane, who smashed 36 off the final 14 balls.
But a slowdown in the middle, especially against Maxwell (2-35), meant TSK couldn’t quite finish as strongly as they’d hoped.
Owen was equally effective with the ball, bagging three wickets to round off a stellar all-round show.
In the earlier fixture, Los Angeles Knight Riders picked up their first win of the MLC 2025, defeating Seattle Orcas in a bottom-of-the-table clash.
Bowling first, Andre Russell turned back the clock with a brilliant spell, finishing with 3-31 to restrict Orcas to 177-6.
In reply, Unmukt Chand anchored the chase with a classy 86 off 52*, guiding the Knight Riders home with six wickets in hand and 10 balls to spare.
He was ably supported by Saif Badar, who chipped in with a valuable 54 off 32 to snap the Knight Riders’ losing streak.
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