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Grace Harris breaks bat and WBBL records in Brisbane Heat win over Perth Scorchers

Grace Harris has smashed a record WBBL score of 136 not out in Brisbane's 50-run win over Perth.

Grace Harris has smashed a record WBBL score of 136 not out in Brisbane's 50-run win over Perth. Photo: Getty

Grace Harris has given the Australian women’s cricket selectors a massive reminder of her big-hitting talent, with a WBBL individual record score of 136 not out and an amazing highlight against Perth Scorchers at North Sydney Oval.

Omitted from the national team for the recent T20 and ODI series against West Indies, Harris followed up an innings of 49 off 26 balls in Brisbane’s season opener with her third and highest WBBL century.

In her memorable 59-ball knock, Harris hit a WBBL individual innings record of 11 sixes, scoring at a strike-rate of 230 as Heat racked up 7-229.

Perth was well placed at 1-99 after nine overs, but pacer Courtney Sippel  (4-27 off four overs) scuppered  the Scorchers hopes by taking thee wickets in four balls in the tenth, and they finished at 8-179.

Harris produced what will surely be one of the highlights of the season, swiping a six over long on despite the handle of her bat snapping off after she made contact.

The very next ball Harris repeated the shot with her new bat, which remained intact as the ball again flew over the rope.

“It was actually a bit loose at the beginning of the game and that’s when they are at their best,” Harris told Fox Sports 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.”

The 27-year-old added 92 for the third wicket with Mignon du Preez (39 off 23 balls), with the South African pounding several legside fours.

Sippel’s victims included Brisbane’s most dangerous batters Beth Mooney (60 off 30) and Sophie Devine (14 off 14).

Heat pacer Nicola Hancock was forced out of the attack after bowling successive head-high beamers in the seventh over.

Sippel’s well-executed variations and changes of pace outfoxed the Scorchers batters, with England’s Amy Jones (30 off 17) providing the only resistance in the second half of Perth’s innings.

-AAP

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