Grace Harris blasts fastest century off 42 balls in Women’s Big Bash League, creates record

Grace Harris has a special attraction to the Women’s Big Bash League. The right-hander, who plays for the Brisbane Heat franchise, had set the tournament on fire by smashing the first century in 2015 by hammering 103 against the Sydney Sixers in Perth. Three years later, Harris went one further as she blasted a century off just 42 balls against the Melbourne Stars at the Gabba, making it the fastest ton in the history of the Women’s Big Bash League. Harris broke plenty of records during the game and her batting was an exhibition in power-hitting. She smashed 88 out of her 101 runs in boundaries (13 fours and six sixes) to give Brisbane Heat a massive 10-wicket win over the Stars.

Chasing 133 for a win, Harris got off the mark with a boundary off Annabel Sutherland but she really got going by smashing offspinner Erin Osborne for four consecutive boundaries. Harris continued to deal only in boundaries, smashing two fours off Holly Ferling but in the sixth over bowled by legspinner Kirsten Beams, Harris created a record.

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Let's relive that, shall we? Grace Harris with the fastest WBBL century ever 💯#BringTheHeat #WBBL04 pic.twitter.com/0ttFP8RoYa

— Brisbane Heat WBBL (@HeatWBBL) December 19, 2018

She smashed two fours to register a fifty off just 23 balls and from that point, she cleared the long boundaries at the Gabba with effortless ease. She hit Beams for two sixes in the same over. The right-hander hit her third six by smashing Osborne as she neared a century. Angela Reakes, the other legspinner in the Melbourne Stars line-up, came for some harsh treatment with Harris hammering her two sixes as the bowler leaked 24 runs.

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Harris reached her landmark and gave Brisbane Heat a massive win by launching Alana King, the third legspinner in the Melbourne Stars side over long on to give her a century off just 42 balls. The right-hander became the first player to hit two centuries in the Women’s Big Bash League.

Harris’ ton was the eighth across all editions of the Women’s Big Bash League and in the 2018/19 season, this was the third century. Lizelle Lee hit the first century of the season with an unbeaten 102* against the Sydney Sixers while Ellyse Perry also hammered 102* against the Perth Scorchers in the fifth game.

The right-hander’s century off 42 balls is the second-fastest in all of Women’s T20s behind West Indies’ Deandra Dottin, who hit a century off 38 balls against South Africa in the 2010 World T20 held in the West Indies.