In an all-round team performance, Glenn Maxwell-led Washington Freedom defeated Heinrich Klaasen's Seattle Orcas by five wickets in the ongoing 2025 Major League Cricket (MLC).
Defending champions Washington Freedom opened their campaign with a five-wicket win and became the first team in the season to successfully chase a target at the Oakland Coliseum.
Orcas won the toss and elected to bat first on a used surface. Openers David Warner (31) and Kyle Mayers (27) got off to a flyer, adding 60 for the first wicket.
Once the partnership was broken, there was no real flow to the innings. Steven Taylor (16), Klaasen (17), and Aaron Jones (13) all got starts but failed to convert, with the Freedom adjusting to the pitch conditions beautifully and executing their plans perfectly. Orcas kept losing wickets at regular intervals.
Sikandar Raza was the last man to get out, but he struggled throughout his innings and managed only 15 runs off 26 balls. Seattle Orcas crawled to 145/9 in 20 overs.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The magician strikes again �� Ian Holland picks up a four-fer for the Washington Freedom �� <a href="https://t.co/oPtqj13Jct">pic.twitter.com/oPtqj13Jct</a></p>— Cognizant Major League Cricket (@MLCricket) <a href="https://twitter.com/MLCricket/status/1934082686538158115?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 15, 2025</a></blockquote>
Ian Holland was at the top of his game, setting up the match in Freedom’s favour with his career-best figures of 4 for 20. He used his slower balls to great effect and deceived the opposition.
“I was just really clear on trying to execute my deliveries with a combination of a couple of different slower balls, and it sort of worked tonight,” he said after the match.
In reply, Mitchell Owen (25) started the chase with a bang, hitting a six off the first ball. Rachin Ravindra (44) joined the party and made full use of the field restrictions. The duo added 49 runs for the first wicket in the blink of an eye before the Tasmanian holed out to long-on in the third over. Ravindra continued in his merry way and looked at his brutal best, scoring an 18-ball 44. Washington raced to 90 in the powerplay — the highest-ever powerplay score in MLC history.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Flick with flair, Rachin Ravindra style ✨<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FreedomExpress?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FreedomExpress</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MLC2025?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MLC2025</a> <a href="https://t.co/bc6J0k35Vy">pic.twitter.com/bc6J0k35Vy</a></p>— Washington Freedom (@WSHFreedom) <a href="https://twitter.com/WSHFreedom/status/1934096707551441123?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 15, 2025</a></blockquote>
Ravindra and Andries Gous (16) added 41 for the second wicket, and Freedom were cruising until Afghanistan’s Waqar Salamkheil came into the attack after the powerplay and knocked over Gous with a ripper. Ravindra was then trapped by Obed McCoy in the next over. Freedom lost a few quick wickets, with Glenn Phillips and Jack Edwards trying to clear the fence but finding the fielders.
However, captain Glenn Maxwell ensured that they didn’t bottle a run chase for the second time in a row and finished the match with an unbeaten captain’s knock, clubbing 38* off 20 balls.
For the Orcas, Waqar Salamkheil (2/27), Harmeet Singh (1/18), Obed McCoy (1/20), and Cameron Gannon (1/36) shared the spoils.
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