Steve Smith’s composed half-century and a crucial partnership with Mark Chapman helped Washington Freedom overcome an early wobble to beat San Francisco Unicorns by five wickets and climb to the top of the Major League Cricket table with their second successive victory.After opting to bowl first at the Knight Riders Cricket Field in Pomona, Washington produced a disciplined performance with the ball to restrict San Francisco to 126 all out in 19.3 overs on a surface that offered movement and uneven bounce for the seamers.San Francisco endured a difficult start as Ben Dwarshuis struck twice to remove Lhuan-dre Pretorius and captain Matthew Short, while Jack Edwards produced an impressive spell to claim four wickets. Edwards dismissed Finn Allen, Aaron Hardie, Sanjay Krishnamurthi and Haris Rauf to finish with figures of 4 for 13 from 3.3 overs.Short attempted to anchor the innings with a patient 39 off 34 balls, but regular wickets prevented San Francisco from building momentum. Hassan Khan provided late resistance with 27 from 28 deliveries, but the innings folded for 126 after Ian Holland picked up two wickets in the closing stages.Washington’s chase got off to a shaky start when Xavier Bartlett removed Mitchell Owen in the opening over, before Haris Rauf dismissed the promoted Jack Edwards. When Brody Couch bowled Andries Gous in the fourth over, Washington had slumped to 19 for 3 and were under pressure.However, captain Steve Smith and Mark Chapman steadied the innings with a match-defining partnership of 72 runs for the fourth wicket. Chapman played the more aggressive role, striking 44 from 33 balls with three fours and two sixes before falling agonisingly short of a half-century.Smith then took control of the chase, bringing up his first fifty of the season with a measured innings of 56 from 49 deliveries. Although he fell with just four runs required, Nikhil Chaudhary and Obus Pienaar completed the job with 11 balls to spare, sealing a valuable victory for Washington.
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