Ben Dwarshuis produced a stunning late cameo to guide Washington Freedom to a dramatic three-wicket victory over Texas Super Kings in Major League Cricket, a result that kept his side firmly in the playoff race while eliminating the Super Kings from contention. Chasing 166, Washington Freedom appeared to be in control before suffering a dramatic collapse. They slipped from 79 for 1 after eight overs to 107 for 6 in the 16th, leaving Dwarshuis with a steep task alongside Obus Pienaar. With 52 runs required from the final four overs, Dwarshuis turned the game around in spectacular fashion. He launched the counterattack in the 17th over, smashing two towering sixes while Pienaar also cleared the ropes as the pair plundered 22 runs to swing the momentum. Adam Milne briefly restored some pressure by conceding only five runs from the first five balls of the next over, but Dwarshuis capitalised on a low full toss from the final delivery, driving it to the boundary to keep Freedom on course. Although Pienaar departed in the penultimate over, Dwarshuis remained calm. With 10 needed from the final over, he picked Milne’s slower delivery and hammered it straight down the ground for a crucial six before finishing the chase with two balls to spare. His unbeaten 38 came from just 16 deliveries and included two fours and three sixes. Earlier, Texas Super Kings looked set for a much bigger total after Faf du Plessis and Saiteja Mukkamalla stitched together a 93-run opening partnership in only 9.2 overs. Du Plessis top-scored with 61, while Mukkamalla contributed 47. Despite the strong foundation, the innings lost momentum as wickets fell regularly through the middle overs. The biggest setback came at the death, where Texas lost six wickets for just 33 runs, allowing Freedom to restrict them to 165. Mitchell Owen, Rachin Ravindra and Nikhil Chaudhary claimed two wickets each to trigger the collapse. Freedom’s chase also began positively despite Mitchell Owen’s early dismissal. Rachin Ravindra and Steve Smith added 60 runs in just 30 balls to keep the asking rate under control before Akeal Hosein broke the partnership. That sparked a middle-order collapse, but Dwarshuis ensured it did not prove decisive. The victory lifted Washington Freedom to fourth place on 10 points, level with the top three teams, with net run rate separating them. Seattle Orcas, who sit on eight points, must beat table-toppers San Francisco Unicorns in their final league game to keep their playoff hopes alive. Brief scores: Texas Super Kings 165 (Faf du Plessis 61, Saiteja Mukkamalla 47; Mitchell Owen 2/19, Rachin Ravindra 2/20, Nikhil Chaudhary 2/30) lost to Washington Freedom 166/7 in 19.4 overs (Steve Smith 46, Ben Dwarshuis 38*; Akeal Hosein 2/26, Dian Forrester 2/28) by three wickets.
