Washington Freedom recorded highest run chase of the MLC history against Texas Super Kings
Seasoned campaigner Faf du Plessis is in outstanding touch in the ongoing Major League Cricket (MLC) 2025. Leading the Texas Super Kings (TSK) side from the front, Faf produced yet another batting masterclass. After scoring a hundred in the last game, he followed up with a brisk 69-run knock against the unbeaten Washington Freedom.
The prolific batter is currently the fourth leading run-getter of the tournament with 202 runs in his kitty. At the moment, he averages 40 and is striking at 169.74 with a hundred and a fifty.
The 40-year-old batter gave a cracking start, smashing four boundaries and a couple of sixes. He took Mitchell Owen, the second most successful bowler of the season so far, under the radar next. He hit him for two sixes and a four in the penultimate over of the powerplay. The right-hand batter raced to his fifty off just 20 balls. He departed for 69 runs off just 31 balls that included eight boundaries and four maximums, striking at an impressive 222.58.
Riding on Faf’s brisk fifty, Super Kings posted a commendable 220 runs on the board. However, Owen and Andries Gous had other plans. Owen played a blistering 89-run knock off just 52 balls while Gous remained unbeaten on 80 off 45 balls. Their knocks powered Washington Freedom to record the highest successful run chase in the tournament’s history. The pair targeted TSK’s fifth bowling option and accumulated 46 runs off two overs bowled by spinners Noor Ahmad and Donovan Ferreira. Skipper Glenn Maxwell’s late cameo and Glenn Phillips’ finishing touch took Freedom over the line with two balls to spare.
In the previous game, the South African batter smashed a stunning 51-ball century and became the oldest captain to score a hundred. His innings was laced with six fours and seven sixes as he scored at a strike rate of exactly 200 before being dismissed. But, a late batting collapse saw them end up on 199. However, Mathew Short and Finn Allen’s quickfire fifties guided San Francisco Unicorns to a dominating victory with 23 balls to spare.
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The TSK skipper came in the tournament after a below-par Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season. He was the deputy to skipper Axar Patel, leading an IPL franchise for the first time. He managed just 202 runs in 9 matches with two fifties, averaging of 22.24. Even his strike rate of lingering around 123. He also led the franchise in the last couple of games, won one and lost one.
Albeit IPL failure left much to be desired, the 40-year-old batter has silenced his critics with the willow in hand. He once again proved that form is temporary and class is permanent.
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