Washington Freedom trump TSK with a last-ball six

In a match of extraordinary twists in Oakland, Washington Freedom had the final say as Nikhil Chaudhary launched a sensational six off the last ball to snatch a thrilling one-wicket win over table-toppers Texas Super Kings. The winning hit arrived moments after Akeal Hosein became the first player to claim a hat-trick in Major League Cricket history. That the landmark came while defending six runs in the final over of a chase of 185 that Freedom had looked set to complete with ease summed up an evening where momentum swung every other minute.

The closing stages mirrored the contest as a whole. At the halfway mark of the chase, Freedom needed just 74 from 60 balls with eight wickets in hand after Mitchell Owen's breathtaking 35-ball 77, studded with six sixes, had laid the perfect platform. But the equation soon became a far more precarious 43 from 24. With Chaudhary struggling for fluency, Obus Pienaar appeared to have landed the decisive blows, launching two towering sixes in his first six deliveries. Yet he couldn't finish the job, miscueding a slog off Adam Milne with 15 still needed from 11 balls.

Even then, Marco Jansen's short-arm jab for a six over long-on in the penultimate over looked to have all but sealed the chase.

Enter Hosein.

After conceding 30 runs from his first three overs, the left-arm spinner produced one of the most dramatic overs in the tournament's history. He began with a dot as Jansen's attempted reverse sweep found backward point. The South African then opted for a conventional sweep but top-edged to short fine leg. Amila Aponso, who had showcased his hitting ability in the defeat to Seattle Orcas two nights earlier, holed out to deep midwicket attempting another big hit. Asif Mehmood then missed an attempted pull and failed to drag his foot behind the crease before Saiteja Mukkamalla whipped off the bails, handing Hosein a historic hat-trick and dragging No. 11 Lockie Ferguson to the crease with six needed from two balls.

Ferguson managed only a leg-bye after missing a skidder which TSK reviewed for LBW unsuccessfully. It left Chaudhary to face the final delivery needing five. Having watched the chaos unfold from the non-striker's end, he shuffled across and finally found the middle of his bat, shovelling a six over the ropes before wheeling away in celebration, only to be engulfed by teammates streaming onto the field.

That Texas Super Kings came within a ball of victory owed much to their spirited fightback, but their inability to press home the advantage stemmed largely from a sluggish Powerplay after opting to bat. They crawled to just 33 in the first six overs, with Faf du Plessis consuming 14 deliveries for eight runs.

Rilee Rossouw and Mukkamalla revived the innings with a brisk partnership through the middle overs, but Chaudhary (2 for 29) also produced the star turn with the ball, dismissing both set batters to force another rebuilding phase. Freedom then let the opposition back into the contest with a pair of dropped catches, and Wiaan Mulder and Donovan Ferreira capitalised in spectacular fashion, adding an unbeaten 75 from just 31 deliveries. Both faced 20 balls, with Mulder making 43 and Ferreira 44, lifting Texas to what seemed a defendable total, one they nearly ended up defending.

Brief scores: Texas Super Kings 185/4 in 20 overs (Donovan Ferreira 44*, Wiaan Mulder 43*; Nikhil Chaudhary 2-29) lost to Washington Freedom 187/9 in 20 overs (Mitchell Owen 77, Nikhil Chaudhary 27*; Akeal Hosein 4-36) by 1 wicket.