Harris hits six with broken bat in record WBBL score

Perth Scorchers 179-8 (20 overs): Mooney 60 (30); Sippel 4-27

Brisbane Heat 229-7 (20 overs): Harris 136* (59); Edgar 3-31

Brisbane Heat won by 50 runs

Scorecard. Table

Grace Harris smashed a new Women’s Big Bash League record score of 136 not out off 59 balls as Brisbane Heat beat Perth Scorchers by 50 runs.

Team-mate Courtney Sippel’s 4-27 then helped restrict Scorchers to 179-8.

“I was hitting it quite nicely. It was just really good fun,” the 30-year-old right hander said.

Harris overtook the previous highest score of 114 not out by Smriti Mandhana for the Sydney Thunder against the Melbourne Renegades in 2021, and 114 by Ash Gardner for the Sydney Sixers against the Melbourne Stars in 2017.

Her 11 sixes also bettered the previous record of 10 in an innings, which Gardner hit on her way to 114.

The Australian’s feat was all the more remarkable given one six was hit with a broken bat. When on 64 the stump mic recorded her saying she needed a new bat.

Asked if she needed it right away, she said: “Nah, nah, it’s all right. It’s a broken handle. Stuff it, I’ll hit it anyway.”

Her bat snapped the very next delivery as she smashed a Piepa Cleary delivery over the boundary.

Heat’s 229-7 was also the second-highest score in WBBL history though only three other players reached double figures – Mignon du Preez (39), Georgia Redmayne (15) and Bess Heath (16).

Amy Edgar was the pick of the Scorchers attack with 3-31.

Perth’s chase began well as openers Beth Mooney (60) and Lauren Winfield-Hill (14) passed 60 inside the first six overs.

But once Sippel removed the top four, backed up by the economical Jess Jonassen (2-31), Scorchers were left with too much to do.

Harris says she names her bats after burgers but revealed the one that helped take her to her record total didn’t have a name yet.

“It was either going to be McCrispy or McSpicy. But I’m definitely keeping that bat. I’ll get the handle fixed on it and she’ll be good to go again.”