With every cricketing nation introducing its own T20 league to promote the game and also attract finance to grow their cricket, the United States has also taken a big step in this regard. The world’s most powerful country has come up with its own cricket league, which is called the Major Cricket League. The first edition of this tournament will take place in one week time.
It will start on July 13 (Thursday), with a total of six different teams taking part in the inaugural season. The tournament will host 19 games, which will also include four playoff matches. The final will take place on July 30. These matches will be played in two venues in the USA. Grand Prairie Stadium and Church Street Park will host these matches together in the first edition.
Washington Freedom: Squad and Coaching Staff
The franchise signed a total of 18 players in the MLC draft 2023. Veteran Australian all-rounder Moises Henriques, who has also led a team in the Big Bash League, is the captain of the team. Former Australian cricketer and coach Greg Shipperd will be the head coach. On the other hand, former South African speedster Dale Steyn is the bowling coach in the team. This team has probably the strongest bowling attack in the competition.
Though it looked a bit compromise with the batting strength, the bowling order has got match-winners. Sri Lankan all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga and West Indian Akeal Hosein are two international spinners in the team. The pace attack has the likes of Adam Milne and Anrich Nortje, who can bowl 150 km/h regularly. Then, they have Saurabh Netravalkar, Marco Jansen, and Ben Dwarshuis, who are specialist left-armers. The batting order will include Henriques along with Glenn Phillips (NZ), Josh Philippe (AUS), and the Pakistani born-duo of Mukhtar Ahmed and Saad Ali.
Squad: Wanindu Hasaranga, Ben Dwarshuis, Moises Henriques, Glenn Phillips, Akeal Hosein, Adam Milne, Marco Jansen, Josh Philippe, Anrich Nortje, Justin Dill, Saad Ali, Mukhtar Ahmed, Obus Pienaar, Sujith Gowda, Saurabh Netravalkar, Dane Piedt, Akhilesh Bodugum, Andries Gous,
Washington Freedom: Match List and Schedule
One of the six teams in the tournament is based on Washington, D.C., and is known as the Washington Freedom. The home ground for this team is George Mason Cricket Stadium. This team is owned by Indian American entrepreneur Sanjay Govil. The Washington Freedom will play their first MLC game against the Seattle Orcas on July 14 (Friday) at Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas. Let’s check out the complete schedule for the Freedom in the coming season.
| Date | Match | Venue | Time (IST) |
| Jul 14, Fri | Seattle Orcas vs Washington Freedom | Grand Prairie Stadium | 6:00 AM (Jul 15) |
| Jul 16, Sun | Texas Super Kings vs Washington Freedom | Grand Prairie Stadium | 2:00 AM (Jul 17) |
| Jul 20, Thu | Washington Freedom vs Los Angeles Knight Riders | Church Street Park | 3:00 AM (Jul 21) |
| Jul 22, Sat | Washington Freedom vs San Francisco Unicorns | Church Street Park | 3:00 AM (Jul 23) |
| Jul 23, Sun | MI New York vs Washington Freedom | Church Street Park | 3:00 AM (Jul 24) |
Major League Cricket other team squads
| 1 | MI New York |
| 2 | Seattle Orcas |
| 3 | Washington Freedom |
| 4 | Texas Super Kings |
| 5 | San Francisco Unicorns |
| 6 | Los Angeles Knight Riders |