Following a significant loss in the season opener, Washington Freedom rebounded with an impressive five-wicket victory against Seattle Orcas at the Oakland Coliseum. In pursuit of a modest target of 146, the defending champions efficiently completed the chase, finishing with 6.3 overs remaining.
Ian Holland destructs SO's batting order
The Seattle Orcas struggled to counter the variations of fast bowler Ian Holland, ultimately collapsing to a score of 145 for 9, which the Washington Freedom successfully chased down with 39 balls remaining. Holland achieved his career-best T20 figures of 4 for 19, effectively limiting the Orcas after a strong start. Rachin Ravindra played a pivotal role in establishing the chase, while Glenn Maxwell concluded the match with an unbeaten 38 runs off 20 balls.
At the conclusion of the powerplay, the Orcas found themselves in a solid position at 66 for 1, thanks to MLC debutant David Warner and his opening partner Kyle Mayers, who consistently hit boundaries. Warner positioned himself outside the crease to aggressively strike the ball, while Mayers scored 6, 4, and 4 off consecutive deliveries against Glenn Phillips in the fifth over, propelling the Orcas past the 50-run mark.
However, Warner was dismissed in the following over, scoring 31 runs off 17 balls. Mitchell Owen then dismissed Mayers on the first ball after the powerplay for 27 runs, bringing Orcas captain Henrich Klaasen to the crease for his first match since announcing his international retirement. Unfortunately for the Orcas, the situation deteriorated once Holland entered the attack in the tenth over. A series of slower deliveries culminated in Klaasen’s dismissal, as he was caught at deep backward square leg for 17 runs.
Aaron Jones attempted to take on Holland in his third over, beginning with consecutive boundaries, but three additional slower deliveries resulted in Holland claiming two wickets, those of Jones and Harmeet Singh. In his final over, another slower legcutter dismissed Cameron Gannon, leaving the Orcas struggling at 120 for 7. Sikandar Raza’s brief 26-ball innings yielded only 15 runs, as Jack Edwards and Saurabh Netravalkar delivered economical spells during the death overs.
Easy chase for Washington Freedom
Freedom faced little resistance during the modest chase. Ravindra commenced with his calm drives both off and down the ground, while Owen aggressively hit the ball during his 11-ball innings, scoring 25 runs. Ravindra continued to hit sixes as he and Andries Gous propelled the score to 90 for 1 in the powerplay, which concluded with three sixes off Gannon.
Gous was deceived by Waqar Salamkheil for 16 as soon as the field spread out, and Ravindra was dismissed lbw by Obed McCoy for 44 off 18 balls in the following over, aided by a review. Maxwell, who had struggled to score in the IPL with only 48 runs in six innings before his injury, regained his form by hitting Salamkheil for 6, 4, and 4 off consecutive deliveries in the ninth over, which calmed Freedom’s nerves once more.
Freedom lost two additional wickets before Maxwell hit more boundaries, and Mukhtar Ahmed secured victory with a four in the 14th over.
SCORECARD: Seattle Orcas 145/9 in 20 overs (David Warner 31, Kyle Mayers 27; Ian Holland 4-19, Jack Edwards 2-24) lost to Washington Freedom 149/5 in 13.3 overs (Rachin Ravindra 44, Glenn Maxwell 38*; Waqar Salamkheil 2-27) by 5 wickets
