Argentina Women broke several records in the first T20I of the three-match series against Chile in Buenos Aires on October 13.
After being asked to bat first, openers Lucia Taylor and Albertina Galan stitched together a sensational 350-run partnership in 16.5 overs, making it the highest stand for any wicket in Women's T20Is.
While Taylor amassed 169 off 84 deliveries, Galan finished on 145* from as many balls in a batting massacre of epic proportions. Argentina ended with a score of 427/1 in their 20 overs, the highest in Men's or Women's T20Is. The previous highest in Women's T20Is was by the Bahrain Women, who scored 318/1 against Saudia Arabia in 2022.
However, the bizarre aspect about the innings was that there were no maximums in the entire innings despite the record score. An unfathomable 73 extras were bowled in the innings, with a stunning 64 no-balls.
Florencia Martine entered the record books for dubious reasons, conceding 52 runs in an over, while Constanza Oyarce gave away 92 runs in her four overs. The most economical bowler was Esperanza Rubio, with 57 runs being scored in her four overs.
In reply, Chile was bowled out for 63 (with 29 coming from extras), leading to Argentina winning by a record 364-run margin to take a 1-0 series lead.
Argentina Women nearly duplicated their performance in the 2nd T20I
To ensure that the first T20I wasn't an aberration, the Argentina Women inflicted further pain on the Chile Women by pulling off a near-repeat performance in the second T20I.
Chile shockingly elected to field first yet again and saw their bowlers smashed for 300/6 in the 20 overs. It was Maria Casteneiras' turn to score a century on this occasion as she amassed 105 off 56 deliveries with 13 fours and a six.
Once again, the most economical bowler was in double-figures (Camila Valdes), with Constanza Oyarce conceding 86 off her four overs.
Another dismal batting display saw Chile getting bowled out for 19 in reply, meaning a defeat of 281 runs to fall behind 0-2 in the three-match series. The innings saw the top four batters dismissed for a duck and had only two batters open their account.
Eight players, including skipper Camila, headed back to the pavilion for no score as it was full of incredible and unwanted records for a second straight game.
The two sides will meet in the final T20I at the same venue on Sunday, October 15.
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