Ben Dwarshuis made a late cameo to lead the Washington Freedom to a three-wicket win over the Texas Super Kings in Major League Cricket, securing his team’s place in the playoffs as they knocked the Super Kings out of the competition. Chasing 166, the Washington Right looked to be in control before their dramatic collapse. They slumped from 79 for 1 after eight overs to 107 for 6 in the 16th over, leaving Dwarshuis with a big task alongside Obus Pienaar. With 52 runs needed off the last four overs, Dwarshuis turned the game around in a stunning fashion. He launched the attack in the 17th over, smashing two long sixes as Pienaar again cleared the ropes as the pair took 22 runs to score. Adam Milne briefly restored some pressure by admitting only five runs from the first five balls of the next top, but Dwarshuis capitalized on the low throw from the last delivery, driving to the boundary to keep Freedom on the way. Although Pienaar left in the end, Dwarshuis remained calm. With 10 needed from the last over, he picked Milne to deliver slowly and hammered it down for six before completing the chase with two balls to spare. His unbeaten 38 came from just 16 matches and included four fours and three sixes. In the past, the Texas Super Kings seemed to have a bigger threat in the postseason Faf du Plessis and Saiteja Mukkamalla put together an opening partnership of 93 in just 9.2 overs. Du Plessis top scored with 61, while Mukkamalla contributed 47. Despite a solid foundation, the innings lost momentum as wickets fell regularly through the middle overs. The biggest comeback came at the death, where Texas lost six wickets for just 33 runs, allowing Freedom to restrict them to 165. Mitchell Owen, Rachin Ravindra and Nikhil Chaudhary they took two wickets each to start the slump. The Freedom chase got off to a good start despite Mitchell Owen being sent off early on. Rachin Ravindra and Steve Smith added 60 runs in just 30 balls to keep the asking level in check. Akeal Hossein breached the contract. This led to a fall in the middle, but Dwarshuis confirmed that it was not confirmed. The win moved the Washington Freedom into fourth place with 10 points, level with the top three teams, and a run of pace separating them. The Seattle Orcas, who have eight points, must beat the table-topping San Francisco Unicorns in their final league game to keep their finals hopes alive. Short scores: 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 Smith 46/19; Ben Dwar 2 Hosean, Ben Dwar 2 Hose; Forrester 2/28) by three wickets.
