Rain Forces Abandonment of Major League Cricket Qualifier 1 in Texas
Qualifier 1 Abandoned Due to Rain
Grand Prairie, Texas - July 9: The first qualifier of the 2025 Major League Cricket (MLC) season, featuring the Washington Freedom and Texas Super Kings, was called off without any play due to continuous rainfall in Grand Prairie.
This outcome means that the Washington Freedom, who topped the group stage standings, has officially secured their spot as the first finalist for the 2025 season, according to a statement from MLC.
Meanwhile, the Texas Super Kings are still in the running for a final berth. They will compete against the winner of the Eliminator match between the San Francisco Unicorns and MI New York in Qualifier 2, set for Friday, July 11. The victor of that match will face the Washington Freedom in the championship game on Sunday, July 13.
Prior to the rain interruption, Washington Freedom captain Glenn Maxwell won the toss and chose to field first.
Maxwell commented after the toss, “We are going to bowl. The pitch is fresh and has been under covers, so we aim to take early wickets. We hope to start strong. Lockie is back for this match, and I expect a low score (smiles). I want our bowlers to adhere to the plans and keep them restricted. Mark Chapman is not playing today.”
On the other hand, Texas Super Kings captain Faf du Plessis expressed confidence in his team's ability to bat first. He stated, “We lost the toss but are ready to bat first. It’s a good pitch, and we aim to assess it and set a solid score. We are feeling confident. Even when we were 30/3 during the powerplay, the middle order managed to secure a winning total. We are sticking with the same team.”
Teams:
Washington Freedom (Playing XI): Mitchell Owen, Rachin Ravindra, Andries Gous (wk), Glenn Phillips, Glenn Maxwell (c), Mukhtar Ahmed, Obus Pienaar, Jack Edwards, Ian Holland, Lockie Ferguson, Saurabh Netravalkar
Texas Super Kings (Playing XI): Smit Patel (wk), Faf du Plessis (c), Saiteja Mukkamalla, Marcus Stoinis, Shubham Ranjane, Donovan Ferreira, Calvin Savage, Akeal Hosein, Noor Ahmad, Zia-ul-Haq, Adam Milne.