Nine Wicket Haul

Brazil’s Laura Cardoso has produced the greatest figures ever by a player in limited overs cricket, not just in the women’s game, but overall. In 18 deliveries, Cardoso took 9-4, including a remarkable five wickets in succession against Lesotho in the Kalahari Cup om April 9th 2026.

No player in either white ball format – ODI or T20 Internationals – has taken nine wickets in an innings. Cardoso took the first nine wickets to fall in the Lesotho innings and might well have haven ten were it not for a slick stumping by Monnike Rufino Machado from the bowling of Marianne Artur. Cardoso still had one over to bowl.

Laura’s inswing to the right hander was the biggest issue. Four LBWs, four bowled and one caught behind. That in-swing was responsible for three of runs from her bowling – three legside wides – Lindiwe Polaki the only player to score a run from the bat.

Five wickets in five balls? There is no record showing any instance of this feat in international cricket, prior to Laura’s record. There was a five wicket haul on March 8th 2026 in a Plunket Shield match in New Zealand domestic cricket by Brett Randell. That’s it. Cardoso is the first to do it in an international cricket match in any format, men’s or women’s.

The best previous record in women’s T20 Internationals was by Indonesia’s Rohmalia Rohmalia with 7-0 aganst Mongolia, 24 Feb 2024, Udayana Cricket Ground, Bali.

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