(Reuters) -Texas Super Kings retired out a sluggish Daryl Mitchell in a tactical move that paid off handsomely in a 43-run victory against Washington Freedom in Major League Cricket on Wednesday.
After rain had reduced the match at Lauderhill to a five-overs-a-side contest, Texas lost skipper Marcus Stoinis in the first over while Mitchell, the other opener, struggled to get going.
The New Zealander, who has a 138-plus strike rate in Twenty20 Internationals, made six runs off five balls before being retired out.
New man in Donovan Ferreira then blasted five sixes in his blistering 37 not out off nine balls to deflate Washington.
Ferreira and Shubham Ranjane, who top-scored with an unbeaten 39, plundered 53 runs in two overs to power the Super Kings to a commanding 87-2.
Defending champions Washington managed 44-4 in reply with skipper Glenn Maxwell falling for a first-ball duck.
Texas captain Stoinis said the tournament could see more and more cases of teams retiring out struggling batters, while player of the match Ferreira said coach Stephen Fleming prepared him for the situation.
“Flem obviously said, ‘Be ready, we’re going to take Mitch out’,” said the South African.
“Obviously it’s never nice taking a player out but hopefully he understands it’s for the better of the team and luckily for us, tonight, it paid off.”
Texas rose to second place, behind San Francisco Unicorns, following their sixth win in eight matches.
(Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty in New Delhi; editing by Peter Rutherford)
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