San Francisco Unicorns vs Washington Freedom, MLC 2026 Challengers

Washington Freedom and San Francisco Unicorns treated the audience to a thrilling high-scoring encounter in the Major League Cricket (MLC) 2026 Challenger match. Batting first, Washington Freedom posted a mammoth total of 238 for 6 in their allotted 20 overs at the Oakland Coliseum. Andries Gous played a brilliant knock of 73 for the team, while Steven Smith (43), Mitchell Owen (42) and Rachin Ravindra (28) played quick knocks to help the team build a huge total.

Chasing a tough target of 239 runs, San Francisco Unicorns eventually scored 231 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in 20 overs but were defeated by just 7 runs. Skipper Matthew Short played a devastating innings of 121 runs off 56 balls but could not bring the team victory. For Washington Freedom, Ben Dwarshuis took 2 wickets and Saurabh Netravalkar, Mitchell Owen, Rachin Ravindra and Nikhil Chaudhary took one wicket each to ensure the team's victory.

Table of Contents

Match details – SFU vs WAF
Washington Freedom Batting – 238-6 (20 Overs)
San Francisco Unicorns Batting – 231-6 (20 Overs)
Interesting facts about the match SFU vs WAF
Conclusion
FAQ

Match details – SFU vs WAF

Match SFU vs WAF, Challenger (Loser of Q vs Winner of E)
Series Major League Cricket 2026
Date Friday, July 17, 2026
Time 6:30 PM Local
Venue Oakland Coliseum, Oakland
Toss San Francisco Unicorns won the toss and elected to bowl
Result Washington Freedom won by 7 runs

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Washington Freedom Batting – 238-6 (20 Overs)

Batter R B 4s 6s SR
Mitchell Owen 42 19 2 5 221.05
Steven Smith (c) 43 20 4 3 215.00
Rachin Ravindra 28 14 1 3 200.00
Andries Gous (wk) 73 40 8 3 182.50
Glenn Maxwell 13 10 1 1 130.00
Nikhil Chaudhary 20* 13 0 2 153.85
Ben Dwarshuis 11 4 1 1 275.00
Total 238-6 20 Overs RR: 11.9

Bowling

Bowler O R W ECO
Saurabh Netravalkar 4 35 1 8.80
Ben Dwarshuis 4 44 2 11.00
Mitchell Owen 4 57 1 14.20
Rachin Ravindra 2 27 1 13.50
Nikhil Chaudhary 3 32 1 10.70
Ian Holland 2 20 0 10.00
Asif Mehmood 1 15 0 15.00

San Francisco Unicorns Batting – 231-6 (20 Overs)

Batter R B 4s 6s SR
Lhuan-dre Pretorius 18 10 1 2 180.00
Finn Allen 14 9 2 0 155.56
Matthew Short (c) 121 56 11 8 216.07
Sanjay Krishnamurthy 10 7 0 1 142.86
Aaron Hardie 3 5 0 0 60.00
Hassan Khan 21 16 0 2 131.25
Hammad Azam 7 6 0 1 116.67
Xavier Bartlett 28 13 0 3 215.38
Total 231-6 20 Overs RR: 11.55

Bowling

Bowler O R W ECO
Xavier Bartlett 4 36 3 9.00
Ghulam Mudassar 4 32 2 8.00
Brody Couch 4 52 0 13.00
Haris Rauf 4 52 0 13.00
Hassan Khan 3 50 1 16.70
Matthew Short 1 12 0 12.00

Interesting facts about the match SFU vs WAF

The two teams combined for 469 runs in the match , which is one of the highest match runs in Major League Cricket 2026.
Washington Freedom scored 238/6 in just 20 overs, setting a huge target of 239 runs for the Unicorns.
Andris Gauss played a brilliant innings of 73 runs off 40 balls, which included 8 fours and 3 sixes .
Steven Smith accelerated the team's run-scoring momentum from the start, scoring 43 runs off just 20 balls.
Mitchell Starc scored 42 runs off 19 balls and his strike rate was 221.05 .
Xavier Bartlett was the team's most successful bowler for the San Francisco Unicorns, taking 3 wickets in 4 overs.
In reply, Matthew Short played an incredible unbeaten innings of 121 runs off just 56 balls . His innings included 11 fours and 8 sixes .
Matthew Short's century was the biggest individual innings of the match and the best batting performance of the entire match.
Matthew Short and Xavier Bartlett put on an unbroken partnership of 73 runs off the last 31 balls to take the match to the final over.
The batsmen from both teams combined to hit 34 sixes in the match , making the match extremely exciting for the spectators.
Ben Doershuis took two wickets for the Washington Freedom to stop the Unicorns' run-scoring momentum at a crucial time.
With this 7-run win, Washington Freedom secured their place in the final of Major League Cricket 2026 .
Both teams maintained a run rate of over 11 in the match (Washington Freedom – 11.90, San Francisco Unicorns – 11.55), which is a rare and very interesting statistic in T20 cricket.

Check out our full Cricket Records section for more historical statistics and milestones .

Conclusion

The match was one of the most exciting matches of Major League Cricket 2026, with both teams scoring 469 runs. The Washington Freedom batsmen batted aggressively from the start and put up a huge total of 238 runs. In reply, Matthew Short's brilliant century kept the San Francisco Unicorns in the fight till the end, but they lost by just 7 runs due to lack of support from the other batters. With this win, Washington Freedom secured their place in the final and continued their strong performance throughout the tournament.

FAQ

Who won the San Francisco Unicorns vs Washington Freedom match?
The Washington Freedom defeated the San Francisco Unicorns by 7 runs to win the MLC 2026 Challenger Match and advance to the finals.

How many runs did the Washington Freedom score?
Batting first, Washington Freedom scored 238 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in 20 overs.

Who scored the most runs for the Washington Freedom?
Wicketkeeper-batter Andries Gous was the team's top scorer with 73 runs off 40 balls.

Who has scored the most runs for the San Francisco Unicorns?
Captain Matthew Short played a brilliant unbeaten innings of 121 runs off 56 balls.

Who was the best bowler for the Washington Freedom?
Ben Dwarshuis was the team's most successful bowler, taking 2 wickets for 44 runs in 4 overs.

Who has taken the most wickets for San Francisco Unicorns?
Xavier Bartlett took 3 wickets for 36 runs in 4 overs.

What did the Washington Freedom achieve as a result of this victory?
With this win, Washington Freedom secured their place in the finals of Major League Cricket 2026 .