The Washington Freedom (WSF) pulled off a stunning last-ball victory against the Los Angeles Knight Riders (LAKR) in Match 17 of the 2025 Major League Cricket (MLC) season. With one run needed off the final delivery, a dropped catch from Jason Holder sealed a dramatic five-wicket win for WSF — their fifth of the season.
The drama peaked in the final over with WSF needing two runs off four balls. Glenn Phillips was on strike as Andre Russell delivered a low full-toss. Phillips sliced it awkwardly toward short mid-off. Jason Holder attempted a reverse-cup catch but juggled and failed to hold on. The ball popped up again, giving him a second chance as he fell backward — but he missed that too. Meanwhile, Phillips ran the crucial single, sealing a dramatic win for Washington Freedom.
The entire LAKR camp was left stunned, ruing the missed opportunity to close out what had been a closely fought contest.
Earlier, LAKR posted an imposing 213/4 after being put in to bat. The openers provided a powerful start, with Unmukt Chand scoring 41 off 30 and Andre Fletcher hammering a superb 104 off just 60 balls. Sherfane Rutherford (20 off 30), Russell (30 off 13), and Holder (11 off 6) chipped in with valuable contributions in the latter half of the innings.
In reply, Washington Freedom paced their chase expertly. Player of the Match Mitchell Owen smashed 43 off just 16 balls, while skipper Glenn Maxwell added a quickfire 42 off 23 deliveries. As the pressure mounted, it was Glenn Phillips (33* off 20) and Obus Pienaar (23* off 15) who steered the innings calmly to the end — ultimately taking the team home off the last ball.
“I stuffed a pinpoint, man.” – Holder
Speaking after the win, WSF captain Glenn Maxwell admitted he had briefly let his guard down before the tense finale.
“Serves me right for breathing easy when we needed two off four balls. Gets down to the last ball. But yeah, it makes the game so exciting,” Maxwell said. “The fact that a guy like Andre Russell, who’s got so much experience, is still able to execute under so much pressure shows his class and talent. He put us under pressure even with only two runs to defend. It’s nice to get it over the line.”
On the other side, Holder was visibly disappointed about the missed opportunity.
“I stuffed a pinpoint, man. It’s hard to figure out. I don’t know. We just got to be better,” said Holder. “At the end of the day, the bowlers are doing a hell of a job to create the opportunities. I think as a group, we just have to be a lot better in the field.”
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