Grace Harris scores record-breaking century

Australia cricketer Grace Harris broke the record for the highest individual score in women's T20s in Australian club cricket against Sandgate-Redcliffe on Sunday (October 4) ahead of the sixth edition of Women's Big Bash League (WBBL).



Harris, who has re-signed with defending champions Brisbane Heat, has been in striking form ever since she returned to action for the Western Suburbs in Queensland Premier Cricket - Katherine Raymont Shield. Heading into Sunday, the allrounder's previous scores read 76, 14, 81, and 27 in the first four matches.



Having scored a 49-ball 67 against Gold Coast in the opening game on Sunday, Harris broke loose in the second match of the day. She made a belligerent 162 from just 69 balls including 17 fours and 12 sixes. Her knock broke the record for the highest individual score in women's T20s in Australian club cricket. It took the Western Suburbs past 200 in 20 overs, and they eventually won the match by 30 runs.



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Given the huge personnel change within the Heat squad, the management will be thrilled with Harris' current form. With their leading run-scorer Beth Mooney having moved to Perth Scorchers, big-hitting allrounder Sammy-Jo Johnson shifting to Sydney Thunder, and skipper Kirby Short's retirement, Harris' contributions could play a crucial role in Heat defending their crown.



The 27-year-old has played 60 matches and amassed 1113 runs at an impressive strike rate of 137.41 including a couple of centuries. She has also taken 44 wickets giving away just 6.71 runs per over.



"We haven’t spoken so much about roles, we’ve been training to adapt to all different situations so I’ve been batting at the top, in the middle order, at the death," Harris had told Channel 7 earlier. "It should be good fun, I’m pretty flexible... you’ve got to come along and dominate whatever role you’re given."



This year, due to the ongoing pandemic, all the matches of WBBL will be played in Sydney across five venues starting from October 25.