Lanning epic destroys Ireland

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Skipper Meg Lanning has blasted the highest-ever women's Twenty20 score as the Commonwealth Bank Southern Stars put Ireland to the sword with a record-breaking 78-run win in the World Twenty20 in Bangladesh.

Lanning became just the third woman and the first Australian to pass three figures in a T20 international, smashing the Irish attack to all parts of the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium on her way to a superb 126 off 65 balls on Thursday.

Two-time defending champions Australia, who came into this clash with a 1-1 record in the tournament, finished 4-191 from their 20 overs to notch up the highest-ever total in a women's WT20 match, surpassing New Zealand's 5-180 against the West Indies in 2010.

Lanning was dismissed with the second-last ball of the innings, but not before thrashing 18 fours and four monster sixes - while putting on an 86-run second-wicket partnership with opener Delissa Kimmince (35) and 83-run effort with Alex Blackwell (12 off 12).

Lanning brought up her century with a boundary off Ireland's 14-year-old medium pacer Lucy O'Reilly, with the captain making the most of her earlier decision to bat after winning the toss and becoming the first Australian woman to score 1000 career T20 runs.

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In doing so she bettered the previous highest T20 score by an Australian, an unbeaten 96 by Karen Rolton against England in 2005.

But she wasn't yet done, smashing four more boundaries and a six to cruise past South Africa's Shandre Fritz (116) to take the top individual batting honours by a woman in a T20 international fixture.

In response, Ireland could only manage 7-113 from their allotted 20 overs, the margin of 78 the biggest in the history of the women's World T20.  

Captain Isobel Joyce top-scoring with 28 and Clare Shillington (22) and Elena Tice (19) chipping in with handy contributions. 

But again it was all about the Stars, as Ellyse Perry claimed 2-17 from her three overs and Erin Osborne grabbed 2-29 to restrict the Irish. 

Australia next face Pakistan in Sylhet on Sunday in their final match of the pool stages.