MLC 2025: San Francisco Unicorns trapped in Mitchell Owen's claws, Washington Freedom in playoffs

Washington Freedom qualified for the playoffs by winning their 19th match of Major League Cricket-2025. They defeated the San Francisco Unicorns by 12 runs. The key player in Washington Freedom's victory was Mitchell Owen, who took five wickets for just 17 runs in three overs. For this outstanding performance, he was named Player of the Match. Meanwhile, the San Francisco Unicorns had already secured a spot in the next round.

In the Dallas match, Washington Freedom won the toss and chose to bat, scoring 169 runs for the loss of six wickets in the allotted 20 overs. The team was struggling at four wickets down for 30 runs until Jack Edwards and Glenn Phillips took control. They built a 71-run partnership for the fifth wicket, helping the team recover.

Edwards was dismissed after scoring the same number of runs in 42 balls, while Glenn Phillips scored 58 runs off 39 balls, including three sixes and two fours. Additionally, Obas Pienaar scored an unbeaten 30, and Mukhtar Ahmed finished not out with 17. Xavier Bartlett took the most wickets for the opposition, claiming four, while Haris Rauf and Romario Shepherd each took one wicket.

Chasing 170, the San Francisco Unicorns could only manage 157 runs for the loss of nine wickets in 20 overs. However, their opening pair gave them a solid start, with captain Matthew Short and Finn Allen-sharing a 51-run partnership in 5.1 overs, though Allen contributed only seven runs.

Matthew Short made 67 runs off 40 balls, hitting six sixes and four fours. Sanjay Krishnamurthy scored 24, and Jahmar Hamilton scored an unbeaten 31 but couldn't prevent the loss. The standout player for Washington Freedom was Mitchell Owen, who took five wickets for 17 runs in three overs, earning him the Player of the Match title.