Brazil's Laura Cardoso makes T20I history with 9-wicket haul against Lesotho

Brazil speedster Laura Cardoso scripted history as she became the first player in either men's or women's T20I cricket to pick up nine wickets in a single innings on Thursday, according to the International Cricket Council (ICC).

The Brazilian pacer achieved this historic feat against Lesotho during Match No. 14 of the ongoing BCA Kalahari Women's T20I Tournament 2026, which was played at the Botswana Cricket Association Oval 2 in Gaborone.

During the clash, Laura Cardoso bowled a sensational spell, finishing with record-breaking figures of 9/4 from her three overs, which is now the best-ever bowling figures in men's or women's T20I cricket.

As per ICC, the previous best was held by Bhutan's Sonam Yeshey, who claimed eight wickets for just seven runs against Myanmar in a Men's T20I in 2025. In Women's T20Is, Cardoso surpassed Indonesia's Rohmalia's figures of 7/0 against Mongolia in 2024.

Coming to the match, Brazil's women's cricket team displayed dominance as they thrashed Lesotho by a massive 189-run margin in their latest encounter.

Brazil posted a formidable total of 202, built on key contributions from Roberta Avery, who scored 48 off 35 balls with five fours, and Monnike Machado, who remained unbeaten on 69 off 41 deliveries, including seven fours, setting up a challenging target.

The bowling was even more spectacular, led by Cardoso. Her extraordinary spell began in the second over with a hat-trick and continued with four more wickets in the fourth over, bringing her tally to seven. She didn't stop there--two additional wickets in the sixth over took her haul to nine, a record-breaking performance in an innings.

The final wicket fell to Marianne Artur as Lesotho were bowled out for just 13 runs in 6.2 overs. Cardoso's phenomenal effort and the collective bowling dominance ensured Brazil secured one of the largest victories in recent women's cricket history.

The match highlighted Brazil's all-around strength, with the batting lineup laying a solid foundation and the bowling attack executing with ruthless efficiency, demonstrating why they are a force to be reckoned with on the international stage.