Major League Cricket Eliminator Tips: All-round Unicorns need to hit back

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Friday 17 July, 02:30
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Washington Freedom v San Francisco Unicorns MLC Tips

These two arrive in the eliminator in contrasting mood. Freedom, to use the colloquial, are absolutely buzzing. Unicorns slightly miffed. It could have an impact on who progresses to meet LA in the final.

The Freedom are there thanks to a classic performance in terms of their characteristic. They are the worst team for bowling economy but the best for batting strike rate. It was, then, perhaps no surprise that they were smashed to all parts by MINY. It was, however, surprising they conceded a massive 266. Surely that would be beyond even them? It looked way too much when MINY reduced them to 10 for two. Game over, surely.

Not a bit of it. Steve Smith hit 110 from 48 balls and Andries Gous 132 from 51. Thoughts and prayers for those holding Smith top bat vouchers. If ever there was an example of why, on flat pitches, we should bet milestones to take others out of the equation it was this. Freedom should feel invincible.

Unicorns less so. At the break they would have been happy to be chasing 188 for victory against LA to go straight to the final. Despite losing two quick wickets, Matt Short and Sanjay Krishnamurthi restored parity. But quite how they failed to get over the line when losing only four wickets will hurt. Andre Russell bowled the 19th to concede just six.

If - and it's a sizeable if - Unicorns can go again they are the right favourites, at least with Sportsbook at 4/51.80. They topped the league stage and their metrics suggest they are not one dimensional like Freedom. On the Exchange an early show suggests Unicorns are going to go off as marginal outsiders. That is the angle to try to attack. At 2.01/1 if the market settles that way is a play.

On the head-to-heads it was one win apiece. Short top-scored in one and hit an unbeaten 34 in the other. Smith and Gous won honours for Freedom. Elite players are the ones to focus on, though, and Gous is not quite that. Therefore Smith's runs at 26.5 overs at 5/61.84 looks pretty cheap. this is the less stressful of milestone markets.

As for runs, we do expect them on another flatty. Sportsbook offer the cheapest total runs line on Freedom at 185.5. it should really be the other way round. One would expect the par line to be batting first to be in excess of that.

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