‘Stuff it’: Grace Harris blasts six with broken bat as records shattered

Grace Harris shattered even more WBBL records in an insane innings that including a moment that left the cricket world stunned.

Brisbane Heat star Grace Harris has blasted the highest score in WBBL history in an extraordinary innings at North Sydney Oval.

Coming up against the Perth Scorchers, Harris pummelled 136 not out off just 59 balls.

It included 12 fours and 11 sixes, which was also a WBBL record.

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Harris’ innings eclipsed the previous record score of 114 not out by Smriti Mandhana for the Sydney Thunder against the Melbourne Renegades in 2021, and 114 by Ash Gardner for the Sydney Sixers against the Melbourne Stars in 2017.

As for the most sixes in an innings record, the previous mark was Gardner’s with 10, which she set in her 114.

The score is also the second highest score in women’s T20s involving internationals between full members and franchise leagues around the world.

It’s only behind Alyssa Healy’s 148 not out against the West Indies in 2019.

Harris’ hundred is her third WBBL century, moving equal with Sophie Devine, and two behind Healy who tops the list with five.

That was some unbelievable hitting from Harris. Photo by Mark Evans/Getty Images

Harris scored a lion’s share of the runs in the Heat innings of 7/229, with Mignon du Preez’s 23-ball 39 the second highest score in the innings.

It could have been even better for Harris in the final over but she could only manage to face two balls in the final over, leaving the competition’s first 150 going begging.

But there was one moment that exemplified just how good Harris was batting.

After the first ball of the 13th over, Harris yelled out: “Hey guys, I need a new bat.”

When her teammates replied “need it now Grace”, she said: “Nah, nah, it’s alright. It’s a broken handle. Nah, stuff it, I’ll still hit it” and faced the second ball of Piepa Cleary’s over.

Kirby Short in commentary said it was “classic Grace Harris behaviour”.

And hit it she did, smashing a six as the bat broke off the handle.

“There it is, she knew — and she still hit it for six,” Andy Maher said in commentary.

“It is extraordinary stuff. That is priceless.”

Trent Copeland added: “You cannot script this stuff with Grace Harris, she says ‘nah stuff it, I’ve got a broken handle, I’ll still hit it’ — and it goes for six.”

Maher replied: “Have you ever seen anything like it? Imagine how far it would have gone if the bat didn’t snap in two.”

“That’s a meme waiting to happen — quote: Stuff it, I’ll still hit it,” Short said.

The six was measured at 72m.

Crazy scenes at North Sydney Oval. Photo: Fox Sports

And yet she still hit it for six. Photo: Fox Sports

The commentators were loving it. Photo: Fox Sports

With a fresh bat in hand, Harris hit the next ball for six as well, this one going 87m.

It was a brutal over with Cleary going for 17 runs off the over.

Harris ended up bring up 50 off 24 balls and brought her hundred up off 48 balls, not quite as fast as her records WBBL hundred, which came up in 42 balls back in 2018.

Fans were blown away by the performance.

One fan wrote: “What A Player !! … What A Knock!! …”

Another commented: “Incredible performance by Grace Harris! Breaking Smriti Mandhana’s WBBL record is no small feat. Congratulations to her on this remarkable achievement!”

Grace Harris cam easily enter into any Men T20 sides, I am not even kidding!

She can enter into the Pakistan Men team and be their biggest match winner with the bat!

— aman (@bilateral_bully) October 22, 2023

Grace Harris did WHAT 🥲🙆🏻‍♂️#WBBL09

— Soumya (@srdsom_) October 22, 2023

Speaking after the innings, Harris, who names her bats after famous burgers, revealed the bat didn’t have a name yet.

“It’s actually the brand new cannon that Harry (Solomons, founder of Kingsgrove Sports) sent me recently — I was tossing up between McCrispy or McSpicy,” she said.

“I was hitting the ball fairly crisp so it could have been McCrispy I think. McSpicy is my mother’s favourite burger so I was going to name it McSpicy and have a bit of a spicy innings out there but it hasn’t got a name — I’ll leave it for the fans I guess.”

The Scorchers were game in the chase, racing to 1/97 off nine overs, but the loss of Sophia Devine in the tenth over, followed soon after by Beth Mooney for 60 off 30 balls left Perth with a huge mountain to climb.

in the 14th over, it's 4/122.