Saurabh Netravalkar and Glenn Maxwell headlined an incisive bowling attack as Washington Freedom beat Los Angeles Knight Riders by eight wickets in their fourth Major League Cricket 2024 match at Church Street Park in Morrisville, North Carolina on Sunday.

Netravalkar picked up 4/35 while Player of the Match Maxwell bowled a miserly spell of 3/15 in four overs as we dismissed LAKR for 129 in 18.4 overs. Saif Badar scored 35 off 28 balls for the Knight Riders.

In response, we reached 130/2 in 16 overs with Travis Head top-scoring in the contest with 54 off just 32 balls. The southpaw’s first fifty in MLC was laden with six sixes and two fours. Our skipper Steve Smith hit two sixes and two fours to remain unbeaten on 42 off 36 balls.

Opting to bowl first, Netravalkar struck with his first ball of the day to beat LAKR Skipper Sunil Narine for a duck. The left-arm pacer made his first over even more memorable with the wicket of Unmukt Chand off the last ball.

Smith introduced spinner Maxwell in the third over. The off-spinner reaped immediate reward going through the gate of Shakib Al Hasan as LAKR were three down with the score reading just 13. Soon it became 18/4 with Lockie Ferguson also getting into the act to clean up Jason Roy.

Maxwell returned to pick up two more wickets including the big-hitting Andre Russell, who was dismissed for 20. Netravalkar polished off the tail to end with four wickets as the LAKR innings folded up for 129. Meanwhile, Ferguson also chipped in with 2/31 in four overs.

Chasing a modest target, Smith and Head gave us a flying start racing to 61 at the end of the powerplay. Head was particularly severe smashing sixes off all four bowlers introduced in the first six overs as 44 runs came from boundaries during the period.

Head brought up his fifty, off just 27 balls, in style with a huge six down the ground as the Australian duo added 79 for the opening wicket, the highest partnership for us, for any wicket in the history of MLC.

Smith took charge once Head departed and remained unbeaten to see us through with four overs to spare. Smith jumped to second in the overall batting charts of MLC 2024 with 126 runs at an unbelievable average of 126.00 and a strike rate of 140.00. 

After yet another victory, we continue on top of the MLC 2024 points table with seven points from four matches. 

We are up against MI New York in our next match at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas on Tuesday.

Los Angeles Knight Riders vs Washington Freedom MLC 2024 brief scores: LAKR 129/10 in 18.4 overs (Saif Badar 35, Andre Russell 20, Saurabh Netravalkar 4/35, Glenn Maxwell 3/15) vs WF 130/2 in 16 overs (Travis Head 54, Steve Smith 42, Shadley van Schalkwyk 1/17, Spencer Johnson 1/33). 

Washington Freedom won by eight wickets.