MLC 2023: Washington Freedom SWOT Analysis
The Major League Cricket (MLC) 2023 begins on July 13 in the United States. The Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas will be hosting the first few matches of the competition. A total of six teams will compete for the title, with the final scheduled to take place on July 30.
Washington Freedom is one of the six teams that will participate in the MLC 2023. The Washington Freedom represents the city of Fairfax, Virginia. Sanjay Govil owns the team and they have appointed current Sydney Sixers coach Gregory Shipperd as their head coach.
Australian cricketer Moises Henriques has been named as the captain of Washington Freedom for the MLC 2023. They have a relatively young squad and have got some exciting players who will be looking to step up and set the stage for fire.
Washington Freedom will play their opening game on July 14 when they will take on the Seattle Orcas at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas. Let’s have a look at their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
Washington Freedom Squad for MLC 2023
Moises Henriques (c), Mukhtar Ahmed, Saad Ali, Akhilesh Bodugum, Ben Dwarshuis, Justin Dill, Andries Gous, Sujith Gowda, Wanindu Hasaranga, Marco Jansen, Adam Milne, Saurabh Netravalkar, Anrich Nortje, Glenn Phillips, Josh Philippe, Dane Piedt, Obus Pienaar, Usman Rafiq
Strengths
The Washington Freedom is a bowling-heavy side. The likes of Wanindu Hasaranga, Anrich Nortje, Adam Milne, Marco Jansen, and Saurabh Netravalkar have been around in the international circuit for a number of years and the experience will come in handy for the Freedom side in the MLC 2023.
Moises Henriques led the Sydney Sixers to consecutive Big Bash League titles in 2019-20 and 2020-21. He has a good camaraderie with coach Gregory Shipperd and it will help him while leading the Washington side in MLC 2023.
Weaknesses
The batting lineup is a weak link for Washington Freedom in MLC 2023. Henriques, Glenn Phillips, and Saad Ali are the only experienced batters in the side and will have to shoulder responsibility in the inaugural edition of Major League Cricket. Henriques will have to play with this extra responsibility on his shoulder and it might affect his performance.
Opportunities
The Washington Freedom have got plenty of local players who have been a part of the United States side. The likes of Netravalkar, Sujith Gowda and Akhilesh Bodugum will be eager to step up for their side in MLC 2023. They will have a big opportunity to rub shoulders with the best players around the world over the next two weeks.
Threats
The major threat to Washington Freedom is their middle-order batting. If they get exposed in the initial part of the match, it will be very hard for them to post a competitive total on the board. Their experienced batters will have to be careful and take calculative risks while batting to give their bowling unit every chance of defending the total.
Probable XI of Washington Freedom for MLC 2023
Josh Philippe (wk), Saad Ali, Sujith Gowda, Moises Henriques (c), Glenn Phillips, Akhilesh Bodugum, Wanindu Hasaranga, Marco Jansen, Anrich Nortje, Saurabh Netravalkar, Usman Rafiq