Dallas (USA), July 20: The Washington Freedom continued their winning streak and remain at the top of the Major League Cricket points table with a comfortable 42-run win over the Texas Super Kings.

The Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas witnessed a remarkable performance as Rachin Ravindra’s four wickets helped the Texans bowl out for 164 runs. Led by Faf du Plessis’ quickfire fifty, the fastest by a batter this season, the Texas Super Kings made a strong start to their run-chase.

The Proteas opener powered his team to 76 runs in the powerplay. However, Washington’s bowlers staged a brilliant comeback in the middle overs. Jasdeep Singh, Glenn Maxwell and Ravindra shared the 10 wickets between them, but it was Lockie Ferguson’s crucial over to Du Plessis after the powerplay that turned the tide. Lockie conceded just 2 wides in that over, which eventually led to Faf’s dismissal.

Shortly after, the Super Kings batting lineup collapsed, losing 4 wickets for just 15 runs between overs 7.1 and 11.6, which ultimately cost them the match. Although Calvin Savage managed to land a few powerful knocks towards the end, this only served to reduce the margin of defeat.

Earlier, Washington Freedom had put up a formidable 206 for Texas Super Kings. The fireworks started early, with Travis Head putting in a brilliant performance in the powerplay. He smashed 53 runs from just 22 balls, dismantling the seamers with ease and giving Washington a flying start.

When spin was introduced, the scoring rate slowed down somewhat, thanks to some purchase on the pitch used. However, Maxwell played a crucial role in maintaining the momentum, contributing crucial runs in the middle overs. Towards the end of the innings, Pienaar provided a valuable boost, ensuring a strong finish for the team.

Meanwhile, Steve Smith (57) continued his consistent performances, batting for most of the innings and making a well-deserved fifty. His constant presence at the crease was the anchor of Washington’s innings and kept the scoreboard ticking.

The start from the two Australian batters was more than enough for the middle order of the Washington-based team to take on the rest of the bowlers. Maxwell (34) and Obus Pienaar (33) both scored crucial runs to ensure their team set a tough target that the Texas Super Kings ultimately failed to chase down.

Quick scores: Washington Freedom 206/5 (Steve Smith 57, Travis Head 53, Noor Ahmad 3/38) vs Texas Super Kings 164 (Faf du Plessis 55, Calvin Savage 35, Rachin Ravindra 4/16).

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