- BATSMENRBM4s6sSR2.5 Bit short and angling on the pads, not quite timed well and nonchalantly whipped to deep midwicket straight into the hands of the fielder who takes it comfortably at waist height, fielder took a few steps across from deep square and held onto it neatly. Big wicket, this bloke can take the game away from you in a space of few overs. Rolled hos fingers on an off-cutter 23/15.1 Over the wicket, hits a hard length and keeps it in the corridor, tries to hammer it through point and ends up getting a thick edge to Netravalkar at third man; cups it over his head. Edwards gets the big fish! Both openers back in the hut inside the powerplay 41/216.1 Over the wicket, think I jinxed the duo. Just when I started praising for their decent recovery Short falls short and gives a simple skier catch to Owen at long-off. The shorter ball got big and was swinging away wide of off, fetched it and had to reach out, went miles in the air but not enough to clear the rope 109/65.3 Gone! No footwork involved. Pulls his length back and tempts him with a little bit of width and got it to slant across a wee bit, he flings the bat out and gets a fat edge that has been gobbled by a diving Steven Smith; takes a cool catch with his shades on and makes it look so easy. SFU in a spot of bother 45/35.6 This is madness! SFU shooting themselves in the foot, another one goes down without getting off the mark. Shortish length delivery whizzing in the corridor, pokes at it tentatively and feather edges it to the keeper, not even making bowlers think hard, just poor shot selection and needless chase of channel tempters, WF all smiles 45/48.2 Tries to break the shackles and ends up assisting Freedom break another partnership, Unicorns woes continue with the bat. Cross-seam shorter ball rising at waist height at off, gets a lot of elevation but just not enough distance, taken by the man running across deep midwicket. Not looking good for Unicorns who need a stable partnership 56/518.1 This has gone high as well but not far enough! Over the wicket, shortish and sprayed wide of off, tries to clobber it leg-side and the edge pops up, taken at point I reckon and the last hope goes up in the smoke as well, sorry-looking scorecard and Hassan hits the bat on the ground in frustration, he needed to be out there and help his side get to 150 but that might just remain a distant dream now 120/917.5 Slower shorter delivery angling into middle and he tries to exploit the angle and tonk it over deep square but he was hitting against the wind and hasn't got all of it, taken in the deep very comfortably, so the story continues, wickets falling at regular intervals 119/717.6 And the extra delivery brings another big W! Oh, he is a smart operator, clever variations and once again undone by the lack of pace. Around the wicket, length and seaming in sharply and it clatters the off-stump, hits it on the middle of the stump and he was late through the attempted smack into the leg-side, excellent bowling 120/819.3 And that's all she wrote. Slow never-arriving shorter ball cutting back at off, he tries to thwack it over point and gets a thick edge that balloons up and has been swallowed at backward point region by Netravalkar. Clinical bowling display! 126/10Extras9 (lb 4, w 5)TOTAL126 all out (19.3 Overs, RR: 6.46)Fall of wickets: 1-23 (Lhuan-dre Pretorius, 2.5 ov), 2-41 (Finn Allen, 5.1 ov), 3-45 (Aaron Hardie, 5.3 ov), 4-45 (Sanjay Krishnamurthi, 5.6 ov), 5-56 (Hammad Azam, 8.2 ov), 6-109 (Matthew Short, 16.1 ov), 7-119 (Xavier Bartlett, 17.5 ov), 8-120 (Brody Couch, 17.6 ov), 9-120 (Hassan Khan, 18.1 ov), 10-126 (Haris Rauf, 19.3 ov)
Bowling O M R W Econ 0s 4s 6s WD NB SN Netravalkar 4 0 31 1 7.75 7 3 0 0 0 J Edwards 3.3 0 13 4 3.71 14 2 0 0 0 BJ Dwarshuis 4 0 27 2 6.75 11 2 1 2 0 MJ Owen 4 0 25 1 6.25 10 1 1 0 0 N Chaudhary 2 0 10 0 5 8 0 1 1 0 IG Holland 2 0 16 2 8 7 3 0 2 0
Player of the Match
Player of the Match
- BATSMENRBM4s6sSR0.6 Wrecks his stumps! That's exactly what the doctor prescribed for Unicorns. Over the wicket, back of the hand, neither too short, nor too full, shaping it back and lulling him into a false of sense of security before nipping it away and he swipes it across the line and gets beaten by the shape 4/11.1 Slip in place. Over the wicket, banged in short on middle, gets big on him and he slinks back to play a nothing shot in the air and has been taken at short midwicket, two fielders were on a collision-course and thankfully avoided it and the fielder manages to pocket the catch low down, excellent effort, I think it's Krishnamurthy with a screamer and Haris Rauf is absolutely pumped up! Unicorns have got the start they were looking for 4/23.3 Sounds the death rattle! Hard length and gets a teeny-tiny fraction inward seam movement, hits the off-stump high and Gous has to take the long walk back onto the pavillion. Missed the line completely and Couch is over the moon. Oh, this is going to be cracking contest now! even-steven 19/317.5 Oh, man, an anticlimactic end to such an entertaining knock, slower cross-seam length ball with width, not quick through the shot and sits up nicely for Allen at long-off, toe-ended it actually, but he had done his job, played the situation and got his team to a winning position 123/513.3 Sounded really sweet and like he got all of it but he hasn't! Shorter and slanting across off, gets on top and crunches a pull and both Pakistanis eke out a wicket, Hassan Khan takes a terrific quick reflex catch and the set batter departs as he smashed against the wind. Now Unicorns a couple more very quickly to get back in the game 91/4Extras4 (lb 3, w 1)TOTAL129/5 (18.1 Overs, RR: 7.1)Fall of wickets: 1-4 (Mitchell Owen, 0.6 ov), 2-4 (Jack Edwards, 1.1 ov), 3-19 (Andries Gous, 3.3 ov), 4-91 (Mark Chapman, 13.3 ov), 5-123 (Steven Smith, 17.5 ov)
Bowling O M R W Econ 0s 4s 6s WD NB XC Bartlett 4 0 18 1 4.5 12 1 0 0 0 Haris Rauf 4 0 27 2 6.75 10 2 0 1 0 BL Couch 4 0 24 2 6 13 2 1 0 0 AM Hardie 3.1 0 30 0 9.47 6 2 2 0 0 MW Short 2 0 15 0 7.5 2 1 0 0 0 A Immanuel 1 0 12 0 12 0 0 1 0 0
Match Details
Toss
Washington Freedom , elected to field first
Player Of The Match
Season
Hours of play (local time)
14.30 start, First Session 14.30-16.00, Interval 16.00-16.20, Second Session 16.20-17.50
Match days
4 July 2026 - day/night match (20-over match)
Twenty20 debut
Umpires
TV Umpires
Reserve Umpire
Match Referee
Points
Washington Freedom 2, San Francisco Unicorns 0
Match Notes
- Powerplay 1: Overs 0.1 - 6.0 (Mandatory - 45 runs, 4 wickets)
- San Francisco Unicorns: 50 runs in 6.3 overs (39 balls), Extras 3
- Drinks: San Francisco Unicorns - 61/5 in 10.0 overs (MW Short 16, Hassan Khan 3)
- San Francisco Unicorns: 100 runs in 15.1 overs (91 balls), Extras 6
- 6th Wicket: 50 runs in 42 balls (MW Short 22, Hassan Khan 25, Ex 3)
- Innings Break: San Francisco Unicorns - 126/10 in 19.3 overs (A Immanuel 3)
- Powerplay 1: Overs 0.1 - 6.0 (Mandatory - 33 runs, 3 wickets)
- Over 2.1: Review by San Francisco Unicorns (Bowling), Decision Challenged - Wicket, Umpire - VP Mallela, Batter - SPD Smith (Struck down)
- Washington Freedom: 50 runs in 9.2 overs (56 balls), Extras 2
- Drinks: Washington Freedom - 58/3 in 10.0 overs (SPD Smith 21, MS Chapman 23)
- 4th Wicket: 50 runs in 45 balls (SPD Smith 17, MS Chapman 33, Ex 1)
- Washington Freedom: 100 runs in 14.6 overs (90 balls), Extras 3
- SPD Smith: 50 off 46 balls (2 x 4, 2 x 6)
Match Coverage
All Match NewsEdwards four-for lifts Freedom from the bottom of the table
Washington Freedom slumped to 19 for 3 before Steven Smith and Mark Chapman revived the chase of 127





