ICC Women's T20 World Cup: 5 memorable batting performances

Meg Lanning: 126 off 65 balls (Australia vs Ireland, 2014)

Meg Lanning has achieved many laurels both as a batter and a captain in her illustrious international career. The signs were already there when as a 21-year-old, Meg Lanning tore through Ireland’s bowling attack in Sylhet, Bangladesh, with breathtaking authority and complete control. Every stroke seemed timed to perfection as she pierced gaps, punished loose deliveries, and kept the scoreboard racing. Scoring at a staggering strike rate of 193.84, Lanning hit an astonishing 18 fours and 4 sixes in a display of pure class and power. Her 126 remains the highest individual score in ICC Women’s T20 World Cup history, a record for the younger generations to aspire to.

Deandra Dottin: 112* off 45 balls (West Indies vs South Africa, 2010)

A boundary-blitz in the early days of T20 cricket that completely changed the landscape of the women’s game. Coming in at number 6 with her team under massive pressure at 52/4, Deandra Dottin unleashed absolute carnage in St. Kitts. She added 118 runs, with herself contributing 108 of those. Dottin took just 38 balls to score the first-ever century scored in Women’s T20 International history. She finished unbeaten with a 45-ball 112, striking 7 fours and 9 gigantic sixes, which remains a record as the most sixes hit in an ICC T20 World Cup. This innings was an eye-opener, showing the world how explosive women’s cricket could be.

Alyssa Healy: 75 off 39 balls (Australia vs India, 2020 Final)

Alyssa Healy delivered a destructive innings in one of the biggest stages of the game. She was paying a home World Cup final in front of a monumental crowd of 86,174 people at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Healy executed the perfect high-pressure assault as an opener and took the opposition out of the game early. Facing an undefeated Indian team that had beaten Australia in the opening game of the tournament, Healy crushed India’s spirit within the first 5 overs, and by the time she was dismissed, Australia had 115 runs on board in just the 12th over. She hit 5 massive sixes and reached her fifty in 30 balls, setting up a massive total for team India to chase in the biggest game ever played in women’s cricket.

Harmanpreet Kaur: 103 off 51 balls (India vs New Zealand, 2018)

Harmanpreet Kaur already made a name for herself by scoring 171 runs in the World Cup Semi-final against Australia a year back. She boosted her reputation even more with a magical century in the opening match of the 2018 edition of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in Guyana. India was in deep trouble at 40/3 against a formidable New Zealand bowling unit when she stepped out as India’s captain and played a generational knock. It was the first WT20I century by an Indian, which was decorated with 8 massive sixes and 7 fours. It was a perfect innings that helped India to post a match-winning 194 and set the tone for their tournament.

Hayley Matthews: 66 off 45 balls (West Indies vs Australia, 2016 Final)

At just 18 years old, Hayley Matthews faced an Australian side in the final of the T20 World Cup, chasing a fourth consecutive world title and armed with a formidable bowling attack. The scale of the occasion at the iconic Eden Gardens made her knock even more remarkable. Matthews batted with complete fearlessness, mixing orthodox Strokeplay with inventive shot-making to score 66 off 45 balls, and added 120 runs in the opening partnership with her captain, Stafanie Taylor. Her innings disrupted Australia’s aura of dominance and helped inspire one of the most stunning underdog victories in women’s cricket. It became even more special when the men’s team also won their trophy at the same ground.

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