Seattle Orcas vs Washington Freedom Match Commentary: Major League Cricket, 2024

9.39am  Right then, that will be it from us for this contest. We hope you enjoyed the coverage. The action continues at the Major League Cricket, 2024. The next match of the competition will see the Texas Super Kings locking horns with the MI New York at Church Street Park in Morrisville. That game will be played on July 13th and will start at 12.30 am IST (7.00 pm GMT, the previous day). But as you know, you can always join early for all the build-up. Until then, take care, and cheers!

9.39am  Steve Smith, the Washington Freedom skipper, says that it was a hard-fought game. Adds that the top order did not great start but Lahiru Milantha and Obus Pienaar played smart cricket and got the job done. Shares that it was a slow and low wicket and all the bowlers did a good job. Mentions that they had a few hiccups with the bat but glad to be on the winning front. Reckons that the wicket got a tad slow so it was important to cash on the powerplay and would have been easy if someone from the top order had made a 50-60 but he's happy that the middle and lower order got their chance and they came out victorious.

9.37am  The losing skipper of Seattle Orcas, Heinrich Klaasen says they lost the game in the last four overs with the bat as they couldn't add a lot to the total and left with a below-par score. Adds that they are lacking that one guy in the last few overs who could give them the perfect balance with both bat and ball to finish things well. Mentions that they needed to pick up wickets early on and they did that as well but they were good 15-20 runs shot at the end with the bat. Closes by saying the pitch was good and had they been at 140-145 by the end of their innings, the result could have been different.

9.32am  Lockie Ferguson is the Player of the Match for his stellar spell.  He says that it’s a good start to the campaign and nice to get in full 40 overs. Adds that as a group, it’s been great.  Mentions that he tried bowling in good areas and it worked well for them. Ends by sharing that Heinrich Klaasen was looking dangerous and he's that they got his wicket.

9.32am  Rachin Ravindra is up for a chat. He says it wasn't easy in the middle to bat but it was easier to bat while the ball was new. Adds that Imad Wasim bowled a maiden first up but him being a left-hander was a match-up for him and the support staff backed him for taking it on and it worked for him. Mentions that they look to stick to their plans and today despite the fall of wickets they kept playing their brand of cricket and eventually won.

9.29am  Earlier today, Seattle Orcas were asked to bat first and they made a below-par score of 124 with only Heinrich Klaasen making an attacking fifty while the rest of the batting struggled. Lockie Ferguson and Saurabh Netravalkar accounted for seven wickets between them and broke the back of Seattle Orcas' batting. Seattle Orcas are stranded at the bottom of the table while Washington Freedom moves to the top position. It's still early days in the season but teams will want to make winning a habit.

9.26am  Seattle Orcas did not have a huge score to defend but they started well by picking an early wicket. They gave away a few freebies through the powerplay but came back strong to put a dent in the Washington Freedom batting. Nandre Burger was the pick of the bowlers taking 2 for 26 while Harmeet Singh, Imad Wasim, and Cameron Gannon chipped in with one apiece and kept it tight. Seattle Orcas have suffered their second loss of the season and will want to turnaround their campaign quickly.

9.19am  A hard-fought run chase from the Washington Freedom takes them to the top of the table and they are unbeaten in the season so far. Chasing a tricky score of 125 for the win, the Freedom lost Travis Head for a duck but Smith and Ravindra stuck a few boundaries and got their side to a decent start in the powerplay. The Seattle Orcas came back strongly and reduced the Freedom to 64 for 5 with all their big guns back in the hut. Lahiru Milantha and Obus Pienaar joined hands and added an unbeaten 63-run stand to steer their side home. Lahiru Milantha made a steady 33 off 30 while Obus Pienaar chipped in with 31 crucial runs. Washington Freedom are the only unbeaten side in the tournament so far and will hope to keep it going.