Washington Freedom hold off Short’s ton to reach the MLC 2026 final
Matthew Short’s unbeaten 121 was not enough to stop Washington Freedom booking the last place in the MLC 2026 final against the Los Angeles Knight Riders.
Jul 17, 2026
Washington Freedom will play for the Major League Cricket title on Saturday after holding off a remarkable San Francisco Unicorns chase in Eliminator 2 at the Oakland Coliseum. Andries Gous smashed 73 to lift Freedom to 238 for 6, and it took every one of those runs, because Matthew Short answered with an unbeaten 121 that carried the Unicorns to within a whisker before they finished on 231 for 6.
Gous sets the tone with the bat
Freedom’s innings was built on aggression from the top. Mitchell Owen and Steve Smith both got into the 40s to give the total its spine, and then Gous took over, clearing the ropes at will in a knock that earned him the player-of-the-match award. A total of 238 on a quick outfield looked competitive rather than safe, and so it proved.
Short so nearly pulls off the impossible
San Francisco needed someone to bat through, and Short did exactly that. His 121 not out was a one-man rescue act, keeping the Unicorns in touch with the required rate deep into the innings while wickets fell around him. The equation stayed alive until the final over, but Freedom’s bowlers found just enough control at the death to defend their score and win by seven runs. Short walked off unbeaten and on the losing side, which felt cruel given how close he had dragged his team.
Freedom’s late surge continues
This was Freedom’s second escape act in two days. They had already reached the final’s doorstep by chasing down a record total against MI New York in Eliminator 1, and now they have found a way past a San Francisco side that had looked the class of the league phase. Coming through both those games gives them momentum that few would have predicted when the playoffs began.
The final is set
Washington Freedom now meet the Los Angeles Knight Riders in the MLC 2026 final at the Oakland Coliseum on Saturday, July 18. The Knight Riders had already sealed their spot by winning the Qualifier, and have had the luxury of watching the eliminators sort out their opponents. Freedom arrive on the back of two nerve-shredding wins and a batting group that keeps finding an extra gear when the situation demands it. For San Francisco, a season that promised so much ends one game short, with Short’s century the sort of innings that will sting for a while.