Washington Freedom scripted history against MI New York in the Eliminator 1 match of the Major Cricket League 2026, which was held on 16th July 2026 at the Oakland Coliseum, Oakland. The innings of Washington Freedom broke the record of Punjab Kings, the Indian Premier League team, for chasing the highest score ever in the history of T20 cricket.
How Washington Freedom Chased the Highest Total Ever in T20 Cricket History?
Fans at the Oakland Coliseum witnessed three centuries in 40 overs of the match. The match began with Washington Freedom winning the toss and electing to field first. Opener Monank Patel got out early as he was run out in the 2nd over, but Quinton de Kock with Nicholas Pooran took the score to 127, where Nicholas Pooran scored his fifty in just 14 balls.
In 8.1 overs, Quinton de Kock was dismissed by Mitchell Owen on a score of 51 (24), but Pooran didn’t stop his attacking style, and in 11.2 overs he completed his ton in just 31 balls. This knock led him to the fastest hundred ever in Major League Cricket history.
Later, when Pooran’s wicket fell, Kieron Pollard scored an important knock of 64 runs in 25 balls and led MNY to a giant total of 266/7. The most expensive bowlers for Washington Freedom were Nikhil Choudhary, who conceded 40 runs in his 2-over spell, and Saurabh Netravalkar, who conceded 52 runs in his 3-over spell.
In the second innings, Washington Freedom’s opener Steve Smith, the captain, and Mitchell Owen started the innings, but Washington Freedom lost early 2 wickets as Owen was dismissed in the 1st over and Rachin Ravindra in the 3rd over. But Andries Gous and Steve Smith didn’t lose the momentum and scored runs freely and took WF to a score of 61/2 in the powerplay.
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Steve Smith kept on attacking MNY bowlers, and he scored 110 runs in 48 balls, and Andries Gous scored 132 runs in 51 balls, playing with a strike rate of 258.82, including 10 fours and 12 sixes. The partnership of 241 in 89 balls registered another milestone in the history of T20 cricket by becoming the third-highest partnership in this format. Washington Freedom chased the highest total ever of 267 in just 18.4 overs.
Top 5 Successful Run Chases of All Time in T20 Cricket
- Washington Freedom vs MI New York (Major League Cricket) – 267 – 15 July 2026
- Punjab Kings vs Delhi Capitals (Indian Premier League) – 265 – 25 April 2026
- Punjab Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders (Indian Premier League) – 262 – 26 April 2024
- South Africa vs West Indies (T20 Internationals) – 259 – 26 March 2023
- Brisbane Heat vs Perth Scorchers (Big Bash League) – 258 – 19 December 2025
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