In a thrilling encounter at Grand Prairie Stadium, MI New York emerged victorious in the Eliminator, defeating Washington Freedom by 16 runs and booked their place in the Challenger of Major League Cricket (MLC) 2023.
Batting first, New York started steadily, but they lost early wickets. Shayan Jahangir (25 runs off 27 balls) and Monank Patel (5 runs off 10 balls) struggled to get going, and the dangerous Nicholas Pooran (1 run off 10 balls) fell cheaply.
Bravis leads New York to respectable total
However, Dewald Brevis played a remarkable innings, smashing a tremendous 57 runs off 41 balls, including four boundaries and three sixes. Tim David (23 runs off 12 balls) and Steven Taylor (15 runs off 12 balls) contributed with valuable runs down the order. Thanks to their efforts, MI New York posted a competitive total of 141/7 in their allotted 20 overs.
The Washington Freedom bowlers put up a spirited performance, with Saurabh Netravalkar (2 wickets for 25 runs in 4 overs) and Akeal Hosein (1 wicket for 24 runs in 3 overs) being the standout performers. Marco Jansen (1 wicket for 12 runs in 4 overs) and Justin Dill (1 wicket for 25 runs in 4 overs) also picked up crucial wickets.
Chasing 142 for victory, Washington Freedom struggled from the start. Despite contributions from Andries Gous (24 runs off 25 balls) and Jansen (28 runs off 18 balls), the team kept losing wickets at regular intervals.
Boult wreaks havoc with a 4-fer
Trent Boult was the chief destructor for MI New York, wreaking havoc with a brilliant spell of bowling. He finished with impressive figures of 4 wickets for 20 runs in his 4 overs and played a crucial role in restricting the opposition.
Nosthush Kenjige (2 wickets for 19 runs in 4 overs) and David Wiese (1 wicket for 25 runs in 4 overs) also made significant contributions to keep the pressure on the batting side. Washington Freedom managed to score only 125/9 in their 20 overs, falling short of the target by 16 runs.
Brevis was awarded the Player of the Match for his outstanding innings that set the foundation for MI New York’s triumph. The Kieron Pollard-led side will now face the winner of Qualifier (1 v 2) in the Challenger, scheduled to take place on Friday (July 28).
