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Washington Freedom captain Steve Smith led from the front in the 2024 Major League Cricket (MLC) final against the San Francisco Unicorns at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas, Texas. The right-handed batter scored a potential match-winning 88 runs off just 52 deliveries to help his side post a dominant total of 207-5 after being put into bat first.
The 2024 MLC was a crucial tournament for Smith to prove that he still has a place in the shortest format of the game. The ace batter was left out of the 2024 T20 World Cup squad despite the conditions in the Caribbean apparently aligning to his style of batting.
Leading the franchise, with Ricky Ponting at the helm as head coach, Smith promoted himself to the top of the order, with Travis Head slotted at the other end. The duo forged a menacing pair and ended up being the foundation on which the franchise would cruise into the final of the tournament.
Smith had to bear a huge responsibility after Travis Head was dismissed in the second over of the final by Pat Cummins. The skipper started off on a cautious note, scoring only 10 runs off his first 12 deliveries, with a sole boundary. He proceeded to switch gears in the final over of the powerplay by taking on Hassan Khan.
Smith motored along, forming brisk partnerships with the likes of Andries Gous and Rachin Ravindra as he went along. He found the perfect partner in Glenn Maxwell in the middle overs as the Australian duo proceeded to wreak havoc and take the game away from the opposition.
The skipper scored consecutive sixes of Carmi le Roux in the ninth over, and brought up his fifty in 34 deliveries. He took on Juanoy Drysdale in the 13th over and continued to deal in boundaries until his dismissal by Cummins in the 17th over of the innings.
Have a look at some of Smith's brilliance right here:
Steve Smith's knock included seven fours and six sixes at a strike rate of 169.23. He ends his maiden MLC campaign as the joint second-highest run-getter with his opening partner Travis Head.
Steve Smith close to lifting the MLC title as San Francisco Unicorns struggle in the run chase
Chasing down 208 runs in a final is always a tall ask and San Francisco Unicorns struggled from the word go. They lost their explosive opening batter, Jake Fraser-McGurk, in the third over and were reeling at 40-3 at the end of the powerplay.
The crisis extended into the middle overs as the Corey Anderson-led side kept losing wickets at regular intervals. As of writing, they are on the cusp of a massive defeat being placed at 68-7 at the halfway mark of the innings.
