Laura Agatha’s remarkable century propelled Brazil to a decisive win over Mexico in the opening match of the South American Women’s Championship.
The inaugural match of the South American Women’s Championship featured Brazil and Mexico at Pocos De Caldas. Mexico opted to bowl first, featuring eight debutants in their lineup.
Brazil’s innings began with openers Lindsay Boas and Laura Agatha, who set a perfect tone by surpassing the 100-run mark within the first ten overs without losing any wickets. However, the stand was broken in the tenth over when Lindsay Boas was run out by Anna Septien, having scored 41. Boas played a crucial supporting role in their 113-run opening partnership with Agatha.
Roberta Avery then came to bat alongside Laura Agatha, and together they forged a record-breaking unbeaten partnership of 160 runs for the second wicket, marking the sixth highest in T20I history for that wicket.
Laura Agatha continued to shine, finishing with a stunning unbeaten 144 off 71 deliveries. Her innings included 11 fours and 11 sixes, making her the first Brazilian cricketer to achieve a century in T20I formats. This performance further showcased her talent, as she now holds three of the top four highest individual scores in Brazil’s cricket history—144* against Mexico (2024), 93* against Argentina (2023), and 71 against Peru (2022).
Well-supported by Roberta Avery’s substantial contribution of 47 not out off 32 balls, Brazil set a new record for their highest T20I total, amassing 273 runs, which surpassed their previous record of 235 against Peru in 2022.
Mexico’s bowlers had a tough outing, with no wickets taken; their only cited breakthrough came via a run-out.
Faced with a challenging target of 274 runs, Mexico’s innings struggled from the outset. Their opening batter was run out for a duck in the second over. In the same over, Carlos Nascimento struck a double blow, dismissing captain Tania Salcedo by uprooting her stumps and then sending Anna Septien back to the pavilion three balls later in a similar fashion. Mexico found themselves in dire straits with their top order gone for just 15 runs within the first two overs.
Maria Ribeiro added to Mexico’s difficulties by claiming two wickets in the third over. Gabriela Morales fell for a duck, while Diana Hernandez, entering in the sixth position, was dismissed lbw for a second-ball duck. Nascimento returned to action in the fourth over and secured her third wicket by removing Marlin Ortin on the very first ball. At a mere 17 for 6, Mexico was in tatters, with Nascimento standing out as Brazil’s top bowler.
Monica Mahedano became the sixth player to be dismissed, bowled off the first delivery of Laura Cardoso’s over in the fifth. Ultimately, Mexico was bowled out for just 39 runs, thoroughly outperformed by Brazil in every aspect of the game.
Brazil’s victory, by 234 runs, represents their largest winning margin in terms of runs, concluding a dominant display in the championship’s opening match.
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