Maxwell’s Blistering Century Propels Freedom to Victory

OAKLAND: Glenn Maxwell delivered a remarkable unbeaten century in Major League Cricket (MLC), guiding Washington Freedom to a dominant 113-run triumph over Los Angeles Knight Riders on Tuesday.

Maxwell’s explosive innings of 106 not out from just 49 balls marked the first instance of a number six batsman achieving a century in MLC.

His innings, featuring 13 towering sixes and two boundaries, transformed a stuttering beginning into a formidable total of 208/5 in their allotted 20 overs.

Maxwell’s eighth T20 hundred ties him with Rohit Sharma, Aaron Finch, Michael Klinger, David Warner, and Jos Buttler for the fourth-most centuries in T20 cricket.

By launching his 13th six, Maxwell matched Nicholas Pooran’s record for the second-highest number of sixes in an MLC innings, only surpassed by Finn Allen’s impressive 19 in the season’s opening match.

After choosing to bat first, Washington Freedom found themselves in a precarious situation at 68 for four when Maxwell entered the fray.

Supported by Mark Chapman (17 off 21) and Obus Pienaar (14 not out off 15), Maxwell’s aggressive batting propelled Freedom to amass 124 runs in the final ten overs.

In response, the Knight Riders faltered under the relentless pressure exerted by Freedom’s bowlers.

Their top order, consisting of Alex Hales, Sunil Narine, and Unmukt Chand, were all dismissed without scoring, representing only the fourth time in franchise T20 history that the top three batsmen failed to score.

Mitchell Owen, who earlier contributed a quickfire 32 off 11 balls, exacerbated LAKR’s difficulties by claiming three wickets during the chase. Jack Edwards also secured three wickets, dismissing Chand, Rovman Powell, and captain Jason Holder (23).

Saurabh Netravalkar concluded the innings with figures of 2/6 in 3.3 overs, bowling out LAKR for a mere 95 runs in the 17th over.

With their second victory in three games, Washington Freedom ascended to third position in the MLC 2024 points table.