Brazilian pace bowler Laura Cardoso made history by becoming the first cricketer in men’s or women’s T20 International matches to take nine wickets in one innings. She achieved this feat against Lesotho, recording figures of 9 for 4 in three overs during the BCA Kalahari Women’s T20I Tournament at Botswana Cricket Association Oval 2 in Gaborone. This surpasses all previous records in the format.
The prior benchmark was set by Bhutan’s Sonam Yeshey, who took 8 wickets for 7 runs against Myanmar in a 2025 men’s T20I.
In the women’s category, Cardoso exceeded the mark held by Indonesia’s Rohmalia Rohmalia, who claimed 7 wickets without conceding a run against Mongolia in 2024, as per ICC records.
During Thursday’s game, Brazil first amassed 202 runs, thanks to strong batting from Roberta Avery (48 from 35 balls) and Monnike Machado (69 unbeaten from 41 balls).
Cardoso’s outstanding bowling started in the second over with a hat-trick. She then secured four more wickets in the fourth over, bringing her count to seven. In the sixth over, she added two more, reaching nine wickets.
Marianne Artur took the last wicket, dismissing Lesotho for 13 runs in 6.2 overs, resulting in a 189-run win for Brazil.
Brazil has shown strong form in the event. In an earlier match, they defeated Zambia Women by 174 runs. Cardoso scored a rapid half-century, and Laura Agatha added 62, forming a 105-run stand to reach 200 for 5.
Zambia’s innings collapsed to 26 in 15.1 overs. Maria Ribeiro took five wickets, and Cardoso claimed three to seal the victory.
Brazil’s balanced displays in batting and bowling have positioned them as a top team in the tournament.
