We head back to Morrisville for the offering in the Major League Cricket tournament on Monday as the Washington Freedom play their second match of the season when they go up against the Texas Super Kings.
These two had different starts to their campaigns in their first matches. The Super Kings were beaten by the Los Angeles Knight Riders while the Freedom got the better of MI New York in a rain affected contest.
Washington Freedom
We will never know if the Washington Freedom would have completed the run chase against the MI New York side in their opening game but up until the rain came it was the Freedom who were in control of the match and when you consider how strong the MI New York outfit looked in their opening game that certainly bodes well. There should be some natural improvement to come from Washington as well with some of their players needing the run out.
The Freedom bowled well in that opening game of theirs and had it not been for a couple of batters getting away from them a little bit in the third quarter of the innings they would have been chasing a much lower total than they were but when they had the bat in hand they came out with good intent on a pitch which hasn’t been brilliant to bat on so far. It will be interesting to see how the Washington middle order go when called upon but the early prognosis for the Freedom is very positive.
Texas Super Kings
It wasn’t the result that the Texas Super Kings would have wanted in their opening game and they would have been even more disappointed to have lost having had the Los Angeles Knight Riders two down in the first three overs and seemingly going nowhere. They allowed them to get away from them in the second half of the innings though and ended up paying the price and will be looking for an immediate response in this match.
The first issue they are going to face here is having to adjust to the conditions from Dallas where their opening match was to Morrisville where this one will take place. They look to have been quite different so far so that will be a challenge. The second thing they will need to do is bat the middle overs better than they did. It was welcome that Devon Conway came back to form in their opening game but none of their powerful middle order got going which wasn’t ideal.
Special Offer
Open a new Sporting Index account and bet £10 on Major League Cricket (min odds 1/2) to get £20 in free bets (2x£10 free bets) to use on any sports market! Click the image below to take advantage of this great offer! 18+ T&Cs apply. Gamble Responsibly.
Key Players
Glenn Maxwell bowled three tidy overs with the ball in the first game for the Washington Freedom but his tournament is going to be judged on how he goes with the bat, especially here where the ball might not come onto the bat as much as he would like.
It looks like Aaron Hardie is going to have a big role to play for the Texas Super Kings. He bowled second change in the opening game and batted at three so Texas will need the all-rounder to deliver a lot more times than he doesn’t.
Betting
I’ve been keen on the Washington Freedom since before a ball was bowled in this competition and I’m not going to desert them just yet. I do think they have a few things going for them here. The first thing they have going for them is better all-round team which is obviously the most important thing but the other thing in their favour is the fact that they have tasted these more awkward conditions in Morrisville so will know what to expect if they remain tough.
Texas Super Kings have had to make the trip from Dallas to Morrisville and with matches going on in the tournament at this ground it remains to be seen how much they have been able to practice here. That means it could take them a few overs to get to grips with the conditions and they could be behind the game by the time they get themselves running. I just think there are more match winners in this Washington side than the Texas one so I’m on the Freedom in this one.
Tips
Back Washington Freedom to beat Texas Super Kings for a 3/10 stake at 1.80 with Boylesports
Back them here:
