New Zealand captain Sophie Devine smashes fastest-ever T20 ton in Women's cricket
Sophie Devine made history on Thursday as she hit a 36-ball hundred while playing for the Wellington Blaze in the Super Smash T20. The New Zealand captain's ton was the fastest by any player in women's T20 cricket. She beat the record set by the West Indies' Deandra Dottin, who scored a 38-ball century in 2010.
Sophie Devine scored an unbeaten 108 off just 38 balls, hitting nine sixes and nine fours over the course of the innings. Her knock helped the Wellington Blaze chase down their target of 129 in just 8.4 overs to thrash the Otago Sparks in the Super Smash.
Sophie Devine was playing her first game in the Super Smash, having only recently ended her two-week quarantine. She was in isolation after returning from Australia, where she played for the Perth Scorchers in the Women's BBL.
Sophie Devine now also holds the record for most centuries in T20 cricket with six, ahead of Alyssa Healy and Suzie Bates, who have five tons each. The all-rounder said after the game:
"I was really nervous this morning. Whenever you have an extended break away from the game, you get nervous about whether you can come back into it. So it was just nice to spend some time in the middle and get a few out of the screws."
Only nine men have scored a ton faster than Sophie Devine
Sophie Devine, who is the best-ranked all-rounder and the fourth best ranked batsman in T20I cricket, scored the tenth fastest century in all forms of cricket. Chris Gayle currently holds the record for the fastest-ever T20 ton, having scored a hundred off just 30 balls for the Royal Challengers Bangalore against the Sahara Pune Warriors in the 2013 IPL.
During her innings, one of Sophie Devine's sixes during her innings hit a young girl in the stands. Immediately after the match finished, Devine went to check up on the fan and even took a picture with her.