A sight from India's 2004 tour of Pakistan that will forever be etched in many cricket lovers' memory is that of former India medium-pacer Lakshmipathy Balaji lofting tearaway Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar for six over long on, and the willow then cracking. In a moment reminiscent of that sight, Australia all-rounder Grace Harris remarkably hit a six with a broken bat during a Women’s Big Bash League game between Brisbane Heat and Perth Scorchers at the North Sydney Oval on Sunday. (ODI World Cup | Cricket News)
At the start of the 14th over during the Brisbane Heat innings, Harris realised her bat's handle was broken. Harris, who was batting on 64 at the time, could be heard on the stump microphone asking her teammates in the dugout for a new bat.
"Hey guys! I need a new bat," Harris was heard saying. Asked if she needed it right away, Harris replied, “Nah, nah, it’s all right. It’s a broken handle. Stuff it, I’ll still hit it.”
And then the 30-year-old right-hander nonchalantly proceeded to smash Perth Scorchers' Piepa Cleary for a clean six over a long-on, even as her bat broke in the process. It made for quite a sight, as the ball flew over the long-on fielder and the second bat piece towards the non-striker, simultaneously. You can watch the video below:
The broken-bat six was not the only memorable event from the match for Harris, who went on to smoke a record-breaking, match-winning century on Sunday. Harris scored an unbeaten 136 off just 59 balls, which is the highest score by any batter in the history of WBBL. She easily overtook the previous record of 114 runs, jointly held by India opener Smriti Mandhana and Australia all-rounder Ashleigh Gardner. Harris followed up her record knock with a wicket with the ball in a Player Of The Match performance that took her team to a 50-run victory.
Harris later said she names her bats after burgers, and added that the one that helped take her to her record-breaking knock 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."
