Ellyse Perry attributes the extraordinary record-breaking batting feats on the first day of WBBL03 to the growing development and professionalism of women's cricket.
The eight-team T20 competition got off to a spectacular start with batting records set in all three opening-day games on Saturday.
Sydney Thunder got the ball roiling with a league record team score of 6-200 in the opening match against Melbourne Renegades at North Sydney Oval.
The mark lasted just a few hours, as their cross-town rivals and defending champions, Sydney Sixers, playing against Melbourne Stars at the same venue, belted 4-242.
It was the highest innings score recorded by an Australian Big Bash team of either gender.
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The Sixers' innings featured a new WBBL individual record high score of 114 off 52 balls from Ashleigh Gardner..
The 20-year-old Australian ODI and T20 representative logged just the third WBBL ton.
Gardner recorded the quickest WBBL century of 47 balls having earlier notched the fastest 50 off 22 deliveries, a feat later equalled by the Stars' Lizelle Lee in her knock of 64.
Thunder's Nicola Carey might have nabbed the record earlier, but her team's innings ended with her unbeaten on 47 off just 17 balls.
Perry, who scored a unbeaten 213 in the recent Ashes Test and 127 not out in her last one-day innings for NSW, joined in the run fest with a undefeated 91 off 49 balls against the Stars.
An astonishing 19 sixes were hit across the match in the Sixers' 86-run win in a game which also produced a WBBL record aggregate of 398 runs.
Runs also flowed freely and another record fell in the other opening day game.
Adelaide Striker recorded a franchise record score of 3-183 in their 45-run victory over Hobart Hurricanes in Glenelg.
Former Australian representative and Collingwood AFL player Jess Duffin (nee Cameron) scored a match-high 81 off 47 in the Renegades 11-run loss.
But the early season glut of high scoring wasn't a surprise for Perry.
"You can probably put it down to a few things, we're another year into the development of women's cricket,' Perry said.
"Most of the players have been fulltime elite cricketers for the last 12 months, so that's always going to lead to development.
"The girls are fitter, they are stronger, they've had more time to work on their technique and get to know their games, so it's probably not surprising in a lot of ways."
