Brisbane Heat's Grace Harris put on an exhibition of her brute batting prowess as she smoked a maximum with a broken bat in the game against Perth Scorchers in the ongoing ninth edition of the Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) on Sunday, October 22.
The incident unfolded on the second delivery of the 14th over when the 30-year-old Grace deposited a length ball from Piepa Cleary over cow corner for a maximum. Bess Heath, who was batting at the non-striker's end had asked Grace if she wanted "a new bat" but the latter responded by saying "I need a new bat... nah, stuff it. I'll hit it anyway."
And she did indeed in what will certainly go down as one of the highlights of the ongoing edition. The strike was so powerful that it comfortably cleared the cow corner fence and the fielder patrolling at the long on fence kept staring at Grace in awe.
While the incident did attract a lot of eyeballs, it was only a glimpse of her power-hitting prowess that she put on exhibition at the North Sydney Oval against the Scorchers.
She smashed an unbeaten 136 off 59 balls and became the player to record the highest individual score in WBBL history. She went past Smriti Mandhana and Ashleigh Gardner who had previously, jointly held the record with 114 to their names. She also went past compatriot Ashleigh Gardner to record the most maximums hit by a player in a single innings in the marquee T20 tournament.
"It was actually a bit loose at the beginning of the game and that's when they are at their best," Harris told the broadcasters 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."
