New Delhi: At the age of 21, Brazil’s Laura Cardoso created history with an exceptional bowling performance, becoming the first player to take 9 wickets in a single innings in either men’s or women’s T20I cricket. Playing against Lesotho, he made a brilliant spell of 9/4 in just three overs, completely obliterating the opposition and setting a new world record in the format.
Historic bowling performance
Cardoso’s achievement broke the long-standing record in T20I cricket. She went past Sonam Yash, who took eight wickets in men’s T20Is, and also bettered Rohmalia Rohmalia’s haul of seven wickets in women’s T20Is. His spell started in dramatic fashion as he took a hat-trick early in the innings and immediately put Lesotho under pressure. He then struck again in his next over, taking four more wickets to take his tally to seven. Maintaining his rhythm and control, Cardoso added two more wickets in his last over to take an incredible nine wickets, a feat never seen before in T20I cricket.
Brazil’s all-round dominance
Before Cardoso’s heroics, Brazil had already posted a formidable total of 202 with the bat. Key contributions came from Roberta Avery, who scored 48, and Monique Machado, who scored 69 not out. His efforts ensured that Brazil had a commanding position in the second innings.However, it was Cardoso’s bowling that completely sealed the match. Lesotho’s batting line-up had no answer to her pace and accuracy, being reduced to just 13 runs in 6.2 overs. The final wicket was taken by Marianne Arter, who confirmed a massive 189-run victory.Cardoso’s once-in-a-lifetime spell not only secured a dominant win for Brazil but also etched his name permanently in cricket history.
