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Devine slams fastest hundred in T20 history

Kiwi master blaster celebrates her first match since being released from quarantine by scorching a hundred from just 36 balls

Kiwi star Sophie Devine has smashed the fastest hundred in the history of women's T20 cricket, reaching three figures in just 36 balls in New Zealand's Super Smash competition.

The New Zealand skipper launched nine sixes and nine fours in her innings of 108 not out from just 38 deliveries as her Wellington side chased down a victory target of 129 in just 8.4 overs, a run rate of 15.59.

It was Devine's first game in any format since the end of the Rebel WBBL in late November and made even more remarkable by the fact she was only released from 14 days of mandatary quarantine on Sunday having extended her stay in Australia until the end of last year.

Devine broke a record that has stood for more than a decade, a 38-ball century from West Indian Deandra Dottin (the first hundred in women’s T20s), in 2010.

The fastest T20 century by an Australian woman is the 42-ball ton scored by Grace Harris for the Brisbane Heat in 2018.

Image Id: 20B314788DC644EFB1A15BCB8D21FC23 Image Caption: Devine launches one of her nine sixes // NZC

The fastest hundred in all Twenty20s, men's and women's, is Chris Gayle's 30-ball century in the 2013 IPL.

"I was really nervous this morning," Devine said after play.

"Whenever you have a bit of an extended break away from the game, you get nervous about (whether) you can come back into it. So it was just (nice) to spend some time in the middle and get a few out of the screws.

"For me it was just about playing smart cricket – to know where my gaps were, trying to manipulate the field ... I felt I knew where they were trying to bowl so if I could manipulate myself around the crease, I could open up areas of the field, so, yeah, I'm pleased with the way it went today.

"Sometimes I can get a little bit carried away ... and I get a bit over eager and play some rash shots so it was nice to stick to some decent cricket shots today and finish the job."

After play, Devine went into the crowd to check on the welfare of a young girl, who was unhurt after she was struck by one of the sixes off Devine's bat.