Washington Freedom achieved one of the biggest run chases in T20 history by defeating MI New York by six wickets with eight balls to spare in the MLC 2026 Eliminator. The Steve Smith-led side chased down the record target of 267 runs in just 18.4 overs at the Oakland Coliseum on Tuesday, July 15 (local time).
After losing the toss, MI New York scored a huge score of 266/9. Nicholas Puran played a record-breaking innings of 106 runs in 33 balls.And Kieron Pollard scored 64 runs off 25. However, Andries Goss and Steve Smith scored stunning centuries to help Washington Freedom chase the target in Qualifier 2.
Washington Freedom rewrites the record books in MLC eliminator
Washington Freedom suffered an early collapse, slipping to 10/2 within the first two overs. The pressure was on after Mitchell Owen and Rachin Ravindra were dismissed cheaply during the biggest chase in MLC history.
Andreas Goss and captain Steve Smith completely changed the game with a sensational partnership. Goss became the first American batsman to score a century in Major League Cricket, scoring 132 off 51 balls, while Smith remained unbeaten on 101 off 48 balls, registering his first MLC century.
The pair completed the most successful run chase in MLC and T20 history by restricting Washington Freedom to 270/4 in 18.4 overs. The match also saw an incredible 51 sixes, of which 29 came from MI New York and 22 from Washington Freedom, making it one of the greatest batting contests ever seen.
Most successful run chase in men’s T20 cricket
| Post | Team | score | Oppose | venue | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | washington independence | 270/4 | mi new york | oakland | 2026 |
| 2 | punjab kings | 262/2 | Kolkata Knight Riders | Kolkata | 2024 |
| 3 | South Africa | 259/4 | west indies | Subedar | 2023 |
| 4 | middlesex | 254/3 | Surrey | London | 2023 |
| 5 | bulgaria | 246/4 | serbia | Sofia | 2022 |
More to follow…