Smriti Mandhana hit four sixes in her record breaking innings

India’s Smriti Mandhana continued her stupendous run in the Kia Super League (KSL) as she scored the joint-fastest fifty in women’s T20s on Sunday.

Playing for Western Storm, the left-handed opener raced to the landmark off just 18 balls – including five fours and four maximums – to propel her team to 85/2 in six overs in the rain-hit game at Taunton. In reply, Loughborough Lightning could only manage 67/0, losing by 18 runs.

The overall record for the fastest fifty in women’s T20s belongs to Sophie Devine (18 balls) of New Zealand – a record that Mandhana now co-owns.

On her KSL debut, Mandhana was dismissed for a 20-ball 48 against Yorkshire Diamonds in a successful run-chase. She hit as many as five sixes and three boundaries in that innings.