Brazil's Laura Cardoso sets historic T20I bowling record with 9-wicket haul

Kathmandu. Brazil, known as the land of football, has stunned the world by setting a historic world record on the cricket field. In the ongoing Women's T20 International tournament in Botswana, Brazil's bowler Laura Cardoso created history by taking 9 wickets alone in a match against Lesotho. 

This is the best bowling figure in the history of T20 International cricket for both men and women. The 21-year-old right-arm medium-pacer Cardoso also achieved another rare feat by taking 5 wickets in 5 consecutive balls during her spell.

She completed a hat-trick in the last three balls of her first over and took wickets in the first two balls of her second over, dismantling the opposition's batting lineup. Cardoso took 9 wickets for just 4 runs in 3 overs, restricting Lesotho to a total of just 13 runs. Had the captain not changed the bowling after the third over, she would have had the opportunity to take all 10 wickets.

Previously, the record for taking 7 wickets in a single match in women's T20 cricket was held by Indonesia's Rohmalia, which Cardoso has now surpassed. Furthermore, breaking the old record of taking 4 wickets in 4 consecutive balls, she also set a record as the first player to take wickets in 5 consecutive balls.

Brazil, having won the toss and elected to bat first, scored 202 runs in 20 overs, with wicketkeeper Monique Machado contributing 69 runs. By winning the match by a massive margin of 189 runs, Brazil has registered its fifth consecutive victory in the tournament.