Laura Harris displayed a magnificent performance in Otago’s Third match of the ongoing Women’s Super Smash. She equalled a world record of the fastest half-century in women’s T20 cricket.
The explosive batter scored a fifty in just 15 deliveries and became the first batter to equal Marie kelly who achieved the same milestone for Warwickshire against Gloucestershire in 2022.
The knock proved to be a turning point in Harris’ career, as she had struggled with Sydney Thunder in Women’s Big Bash League with just 69 runs from her first eight matches, although that has come with an impressive strike rate of 197.14. Harris made her impact felt from the first match itself when Otago took on Northern Brave in the first match of the Super Smash based out of Molyneux Park in Alexandra.
Harris was in control and managed the challenging Otago run chase as she came to bat at No. 4, with Otago having scored 46/2 in the sixth over. Harris slammed an astonishing 52 runs from only 17 deliveries, hitting six boundaries and four sixes, making certain that Otago secured a Canterbury total of 146 within 15 overs. So, Otago won convincingly, and Harris was awarded the Player of the Match award.
It was not the first occasion when Harris had come close to the historic spot. In the early part of this year, the 35-year-old had almost achieved the record when she hit a 16-ball fifty for Warwickshire in the Vitality Blast, just missing out on the mark. During the incident, Harris had hammered 55 from 21 balls against Durham while being declared the Player of the Match.