Mitchell Owen's Five-For Sinks Unicorns as Washington Freedom End Unbeaten Run in MLC 2025

Owen's Five-Wicket Haul Leads Washington Freedom to Victory Over San Francisco Unicorns

The San Francisco Unicorns suffered their first defeat in MLC 2025, succumbing to a 12-run loss against Washington Freedom on Saturday. Despite the setback, the Unicorns maintain their lead in the points table, buoyed by a superior net run rate. The match in Dallas was defined by a stellar performance from Mitchell Owen, whose remarkable five-wicket haul proved decisive for the Freedom.

Matthew Short, the Unicorns' captain, continued his impressive form, leading the chase of a target of 170. The Unicorns reached 52 for 1 during the powerplay, despite limited support from Finn Allen and Jake Fraser-McGurk.

Short found some stability alongside Sanjay Krishnamurthi, but after Short's dismissal in the 11th over for a well-composed 67, the chase faltered. The Unicorns' middle order, faced with requiring 73 runs, seemed in control.

However, Mitchell Owen turned the game on its head. After removing Short in his opening over, Owen quickly followed up by dismissing Hassan Khan and Romario Shepherd in successive deliveries. With additional wickets taken by Jack Edwards and Ian Holland, the Unicorns found themselves struggling at 113 for 7 by the 16th over.

Owen sealed the victory in the 19th over, cleaning up tailenders Haris Rauf and Brody Couch to conclude with impressive figures of 5 for 17.

Despite a valiant effort from Jahmar Hamilton, who scored an unbeaten 31 off 18 balls, Saurabh Netravalkar held his composure in the final over, conceding only 14 runs to secure the win for Washington.

Earlier in the match, Washington Freedom faced early struggles after electing to bat, finding themselves at 13 for 3 within the first three overs. Xavier Bartlett's fierce opening spell accounted for Owen, Rachin Ravindra, and Andries Gous.

After Glenn Maxwell fell cheaply, Jack Edwards and Glenn Phillips rebuilt the innings with a 71-run partnership. Phillips then accelerated the scoring alongside Obus Pienaar. Phillips departed for a 39-ball 58, Pienaar remained unbeaten on 37 off 16 balls, supported by Mukhtar Ahmed.

Both teams now have six wins from seven matches, with the Unicorns holding a significant net run rate advantage of 2.016 compared to Washington's 0.603.

Brief Scores:

Washington Freedom: 169/6 in 20 overs (Glenn Phillips 58, Jack Edwards 42, Obus Pienaar 30*; Xavier Bartlett 32/4, Romario Shepherd 28/1)

San Francisco Unicorns: 157/9 in 20 overs (Matthew Short 67, Jahmar Hamilton 31*, Sanjay Krishnamurthi 24; Mitchell Owen 17/5, Ian Holland 23/1, Amila Aponso 23/1)