'Stuff It, I'll Hit it Anyway': Grace Harris Hits Extraordinary Six With Broken Bat, Blasts Record-breaking Century

Grace Harris hit a remarkable six with a broken bat during a Women’s Big Bash League match between Brisbane Heat and Perth Scorchers at the North Sydney Oval on Sunday.

Upon realised the handle has been broken, Harris, who was on 64, could he heard on the stump mic as asking for a new bat before going on to smoke Piepa Cleary for a six over long-on.

“Nah, nah, it’s all right. It’s a broken handle. Stuff it, I’ll hit it anyway,” Harris said.

That’s not the only memory the Brisbane opener will take from the match.

Harris went on to blast a record-breaking century to register the highest individual score in WBBL history. She scored an unbeaten 136 off 59 deliveries to surpass the previous joint-highest record held by Ashleigh Gardner and Smriti Mandhana.

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“It (bat) was actually a bit loose at the beginning of the game and that’s when they are at their best,” Harris said later.

“I just thought it will be fine, it will come through and then I heard it click in this one particular shot just before that six. Then I thought ‘no it hasn’t fully cracked’, I think it’s just loosened up even more I’ll still hit it for six, I’m on anyway. So you’ve got to keep going and that’s a great bat, so in the end it broke and it still went for six,” she added.

Harris names her bat after burgers but the one she broke on Sunday was nameless. “It was either going to be McCrispy or McSpicy. But I’m definitely keeping that bat. I’ll get the handle fixed on it and she’ll be good to go again,” she said.

Thanks to her record century, Brisbane Heat posted a mammoth 229/7 in their 20 overs. Perth Scorchers skipper Sophie Devine used as many as seven bowlers but everyone conceded runs at the rate of at least 10 an over.

In reply, Perth Scorchers made a solid start with the openers adding 63 runs in 5.3 overs before being separated.

However, Courtney Sippel took 4/27 to restrict Perth Scorchers to 179/8 for a 50-run win.