Brazil's Laura Cardoso becomes first bowler to take nine wickets in a T20I innings
The 21-year-old took 9 for 4 from three overs, two of which were maidens, during Brazil's match against Lesotho at the BCA Kalahari Women's T20I Tournament in Botswana. No bowler in men's or women's T20I cricket had ever taken nine wickets in a single innings.
Five wickets in five balls
Cardoso opened with a hat-trick in the second over of Lesotho's innings, then returned in the fourth over to take four more. Her first five wickets came in five consecutive deliveries across those two overs. She added two further wickets in the sixth over to finish with figures unlike anything the format had produced before.
The previous best in T20I cricket belonged to Bhutan's Sonam Yeshey, who took 8 for 7 against Myanmar in 2025.
Lesotho all out for 13
Chasing Brazil's 202, built on Monnike Machado's unbeaten 69 off 41 balls and Roberta Avery's 48 off 35, Lesotho were bowled out for just 13 in 6.2 overs. It was the seventh-lowest total in women's T20I history. Brazil won by 189 runs.
Cricket's quiet growth in Brazil
Cardoso has spoken publicly about idolising Virat Kohli and met the Indian batter in Mumbai in March 2023. She has credited that experience with fuelling her ambition to play at the highest level.
Cricket remains a fringe sport in Brazil, but Cardoso's record-breaking spell puts the country's women's team firmly on the ICC's radar. Nine wickets in a T20I innings may have come against a weaker side, but no one had done it before. The record belongs to a 21-year-old from Sao Paulo, and that alone makes it worth talking about.
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