Brazilian fast bowler Laura Cardoso made cricket history on Thursday, April 9, 2026, by becoming the first player ever to take nine wickets in a single Twenty20 International (T20I) innings. She set this world record against Lesotho at Gaborone, Botswana.
The 21-year-old athlete finished the BCA Kalahari Women’s T20I Tournament with nine wickets for just four runs from her three overs. This performance stands as the best bowling spell in the history of both men’s and women’s T20I cricket. Because of which, Brazil won against Lesotho by a massive 189 runs after bowling them out for only 13 runs.
Laura Cardoso Record Breaking Innings
Laura Cardosos entered the record books during match number 14 of the ongoing tournament at the Botswana Cricket Association Oval 2. Before this match, no cricketer had ever claimed nine wickets in a T20I game. Cardoso broke the previous world record held by Bhutan’s Sonam Yeshey, who took eight wickets for seven runs in 2025. Furthermore, she easily surpassed the women’s T20I record previously set by Indonesia’s Rohmalia Rohmalia, who took 7 wickets for 0 runs in 2024.
𝐇𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐂
Brazil’s Laura Cardoso nabs the first nine-wicket haul in Women’s T20Is
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https://t.co/IYeBLTRWX2 pic.twitter.com/9J1J70H4Sr
— ICC (@ICC) April 9, 2026
Cardoso’s accuracy and speed completely overwhelmed the Lesotho batting lineup. Therefore, she became the central figure in a match the experts are calling a miracle for Brazilian cricket. Meanwhile, the International Cricket Council (ICC) officially recognized her feat as a landmark moment for the sport on their X (@ICC) account.
How the Historic Spell Unfolded
The record-breaking spell began early in the second innings while Brazil defended a large total. Specifically, Cardoso started her masterclass in the second over of the match. She immediately took a hat-trick by dismissing batters with her fourth, fifth, and sixth deliveries. This early success put Lesotho under immense pressure from the start.
However, the Brazilian pacer did not stop there. During her second over, which was the fourth over of the innings, she claimed four more wickets in just five balls. Consequently, she took 7 wickets in just two overs. Finally, she returned in the sixth over to take two additional wickets, which brought her tally of nine wickets within her three-over spell.
Laura Cardoso Was Denied the Perfect Ten
Cardoso came close to becoming the first player to take all ten wickets in a T20I innings. At one point, Lesotho struggled at 13 runs for the loss of nine wickets. However, teammate Marianne Artur bowled the next over and claimed the final wicket.
The last Lesotho batter was out stumped by the wicketkeeper. Therefore, Cardoso finished with nine wickets, while Artur took the remaining one. ESPNcricinfo celebrated this record on social media, pointing out how the last batter fell before Cardoso had bowled her final over.
Cardoso took the first nine wickets in Lesotho’s innings, but the last batter fell before she had bowled her final overhttps://t.co/Kqq3QBoAIQ
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) April 9, 2026
Brazil Dominates with Bat and Ball
The Brazilian batters also performed exceptionally well. They batted first and made a total of 202 runs for the loss of eight wickets in their 20 overs. Captain Roberta Avery led the way by scoring 48 runs from 35 balls, including five boundaries.
Additionally, Monnike Machado provided a powerful finish to the innings. She remained unbeaten on 69 runs from just 41 deliveries. Her innings included seven fours, which helped push the total past the 200-run mark. Interestingly, Cardoso herself had a difficult time with the bat, as she was out for only four runs on her second ball. Nevertheless, her bowling performance more than made up for her early exit during the first innings.
What Next for Brazil
The victory against Lesotho keeps Brazil at the top of the points table in the BCA Kalahari Women’s T20I Tournament. They have won all five of their group stage matches so far and remain the only unbeaten team in the competition The team now looks forward to the Super League phase of the tournament.
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