Grace Harris hits astonishing 136 as more records tumble in WBBL

A flurry of new landmarks were set during the knock including the most sixes in a single innings, the second-highest tournament total and the most runs in a single WBBL match

The Cricketer | 22/10/2023 at 11:36

Grace Harris blazed the highest individual score in the Women's Big Bash with an unbeaten 136 as Brisbane Heat beat Perth Scorchers.

The 30-year-old slammed a tournament-best 11 sixes, bringing up three figures in 48 deliveries, as Heat made 229 for 7 - the second-best WBBL total in history.

Scorchers made 179 for 8 in reply, with Beth Mooney making 60, to help wrack up 408 runs - the most in a single match in the competition. Harris chipped in with a wicket herself, dismissing England's Amy Jones for 30.

But most of the plaudits go to Harris, whose knock surpassed the 114 scored by Ash Gardner for Sydney Sixers against Melbourne Stars in 2017, and Smriti Mandhana, who finished not out for Sydney Thunder against Melbourne Renegades in 2021

"I don't know if I could top that," she said.

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^{The extraordinary moment when Harris' bat came apart as she hit Piepa Cleary for six (Mark Evans/Getty Images)}

"I always find North Sydney to be a great ground for a batter, the wickets are quite nice and true surfaces. The boundary here, I back myself in to clear it if I give it a good swing.

"Might have got a bit of inspiration from Hayley Matthews recently...on what she did, she did tear our Aussie bowling attack apart."

Aside from the landmarks she reached during the knock, the highlight came in the 14th over when Harris was heard over the stump mic that she required a new bat.

Deciding to continue, she faced the next ball from Piepa Cleary and duly smashed it for six as the blade came apart in her hands.

Upon changing bats her progress didn't slow, hitting the next ball for a maximum before finding the boundary once more to move onto 80.

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^{Harris calls for a new blade - but she was not to be denied a magic hundred (Mark Evans/Getty Images)}

"It was actually a bit loose at the beginning of the game and that's when they are at their best," Harris said on broadcast about her broken bat.

"I just thought it will be fine, it will come through and then I heard it click in this one particular shot just before that six.

"Then I thought 'No it hasn't fully cracked', I think it's just loosened up, even more, I'll still hit it for six, I'm on anyway.

"So you've got to keep going and that's a great bat, so in the end it broke and it still went for six."

The performance came the day after Stars achieved an unwanted record after being skittled for just 29 in their defeat by Adelaide Strikers, recording the lowest total in the competition's history.