Ben Dwarshuis’ late blitz keeps Washington Liberty alive, ends Texas Super Kings’ playoff hopes Cricket News

Ben Devasius In Major League Cricket, Washington Liberty made a stunning late cameo to register a dramatic wicket win over the Texas Super Kings, a result that kept his team firmly in the playoff race while keeping the Super Kings out of the race. Chasing 166, Washington Liberty seemed to be in control before suffering a dramatic collapse. They fell from 79 for 1 after 8 overs to 107 for 6 in the 16th over, leaving Dwarshuis with a tough task ahead of Obus Pienaar. Needing 52 runs in the final four overs, Dwarshuis turned the game around in stunning fashion. He struck back in the 17th over, hitting two towering sixes, while Pienaar also cleared the ropes, with the duo grabbing 22 runs to turn the momentum around. Adam Milne Conceding just five runs off the first five balls of the next over, some pressure briefly resumed, but Devasius capitalized on a low full toss off the final ball to push the ball towards the boundary to keep Liberty going. Despite Pienaar’s departure in the penultimate game, Devasius remained calm. With 10 runs needed in the final over, he picked out Milne’s slower delivery and knocked the ball straight down the ground for a crucial six before ending the chase with two balls to spare. His unbeaten 38-run knock came from just 16 deliveries, including two fours and three sixes. Earlier, it looked like the Texas Super Kings would have an even bigger championship to follow Fife du Plessis and Saiteja Mukkamala completed an opening partnership of 93 runs in just 9.2 overs. Du Plessis topped the list with 61 points, while Mukamara contributed 47 points. Despite a solid foundation, the innings lost momentum as wickets fell frequently in the middle overs. The biggest setback came at the death as Texas lost 6 wickets for just 33 runs, which restricted Liberty to 165 runs. Mitchell Irwin, Rachin Ravindra & Nikhil Chowdhury Claiming two wickets each to trigger a collapse. The chase for freedom began in earnest despite the early dismissal of Mitchell Irving. Rachin Ravindra and Steve Smith score 60 runs in just 30 balls to control previous asking price Aqair Hussain The partnership was broken. This triggered a collapse of the middle order, but Devasius ensured that this was not decisive. The win moved the Washington Liberty into fourth place with 10 points, level with the top three teams but a far cry from the net run rate. The Seattle Orcas, who currently have eight points, must defeat the first-place San Francisco Unicorns in their final league game to keep their playoff hopes alive. Brief results: Texas Super Kings 165 (Faf du Plessis 61, Saiteja Mukkamala 47; Mitchell Owen 2/19, Rachin Ravindra 2/20, Nikhil Chaudhary 2/30) lost to Washington Liberty 166/7 (Steve Smith 46, Ben Dwarshuis 38*; Akeal Hosein 2/26, Dian Forrester 2/28) in 19.4 overs By three wickets.