England and New Zealand women re-write record books

First, New Zealand set a new record for the highest T20I total in women's cricket by making 216 for 1 against South Africa, then England Women smashed that record by 34 runs, and against the same opposition. The three teams are involved in a tri-series being played in England. The previous record for the highest total in Women's T20 internationals was held by Australia, who made 209 for 4 against England at Brabourne Stadium earlier this year. Five of the top six T20I totals in women's international cricket have come this year. Click here for a list of the highest T20I totals. Before this manic day, Women's T20Is had seen only two 200-plus totals in 423 games.

This is the highest total for England in the T20 international format (men's or women's). England men's 230 for 8 against South Africa in the 2016 World T20 was the previous highest. This was the first time England Women had made 200 runs in this format. Their previous best was 199 for 3, which they made against India in Mumbai earlier this year. Click here for a list of the highest totals by England Women in T20Is. New Zealand's 218 for 1 was also the first time their women's team had breached the 200-run mark in T20Is.

In the first match of the tri-series, the New Zealand openers added 182 runs, setting a new record for the highest partnership in T20 international matches (men's or women's). They broke the record set by their men's team: Kane Williamson and Martin Guptill had put together an unbeaten stand of 171 runs against Pakistan in 2016. Click here for a list of the highest stands in men's T20 internationals. The previous record for the highest stand in women's T20 internationals was held by the South Africa pair of Trish Chetty and Shandre Fritz, who had added 170 runs against Netherlands back in 2010.

During her unbeaten 124, Bates passed England's Charlotte Edwards as the leading run-scorer in women's T20 internationals. Edwards had made 2605 runs in 93 T20 innings. Bates narrowly missed the highest individual score in this format though, falling short of Meg Lanning's 126 by just two runs. Click here for the highest scores in Women's T20 internationals. Incidentally, Bates' 124 is also the highest individual score by a New Zealand batsman (men or women) in this format. Brendon McCullum's 123 against Bangladesh in 2012 World T20 was the previous highest.

Tammy Beaumont, the other centurion of the day, got her name in the record books too by biffing 22 boundaries in her 52-ball 116. These are the joint-most boundaries hit by a batsman in a women's T20I. Australia's Lanning too had hit 22 boundaries on her way to the highest T20I score in women's cricket, against Ireland in the 2014 World T20. Beaumont reached her century in 47 balls, making it the second-fastest of the nine centuries scored in Women's T20 internationals. Deandra Dottin's 38-ball hundred against South Africa in the 2010 World T20 is the fastest.

England restricted South Africa to 129 for 6 in reply to their mammoth total of 250 for 3, making their win the biggest in Women's T20 internationals. Incidentally, the previous record for this was held by South Africa themselves: they had beaten Netherlands in 2010 by 115 runs. Click here for a list of the biggest margins of victory in Women's T20Is.

And the record that stood for the shortest period was ... If you thought New Zealand's record for the highest total being broken in a matter of hours was the briefest a record stood on this day, then you are in for a surprise. South Africa's Stacy Lackay bowled the 18th over of the innings and finished up with figures of 2 for 59 - the most expensive figures for any bowler in Women's T20 internationals. This dubious record was promptly exceeded by Masabata Klaas by the end of the very next over, when she finished with equally expensive figures, but claimed the bottom spot due to her lack of wickets. The pair's economy-rates of 14.75 are also the worst for any bowlers to have bowled three or more overs in a Women's T20 international.