• Source:JND
Add as a preferred

Ireland pacer Curtis Campher etched his name in history books as he bagged a never-reached-achieved feat, becoming the first man in professional cricket to take five wickets in five balls. He achieved the feat for Munster Reds against North-West Warriors in the Inter-Provincial T20 Trophy, finishing with 5 for 16 from 2.3 overs.

Campher, who was captaining the Munster Reds team in the competition, took his five wickets across his second and third overs as Warriors slumped from 87 for 5 to 88 all out while chasing down a challenging target of 189.

Jared Wilson, the first of the five wickets, was dismissed in the penultimate delivery of the 12th over when Campher got the ball to swing in and crash into the off stump. Next ball, Graham Hume was trapped in front while playing one on the back foot as another inswinger hit him on the pads. That put Campher on a hat-trick at the start of his next over, and it came when Andy McBrine miscued a slog towards deep midwicket on the first ball of the 14th over.

The wicket-taking streak continued when the next batter, Robbie Millar, was out caught behind first ball, trying to poke at a delivery outside off stump, after which No. 11 Josh Wilson couldn't keep the ball from hitting the stumps as Campher came around the wicket.

"Because of the change of overs, I wasn't really sure what was happening," Campher said of his achievement. "I just kind of stuck to my guns and kept it real simple, and luckily it kind of went off."

When asked about the possibility of taking six in six if there was another batter to come, Campher said: "No, I don't think so. It is what it is. Take the rough with the smooth. Just happy to be out there in the sun."

This was Campher's second match after a finger injury had ruled him out of the ODI and T20I series against West Indies. In his comeback match, against Leinster Lightning on Tuesday, he had scored 57 off 35 balls but did not bowl. On Thursday, too, he scored 44 off 24 balls before his five-for.

Campher, who is also part of an elite list of bowlers to take four wickets in four balls in T20 internationals, however, is not the first person to achieve this feat. The only previous instance was recorded by Zimbabwean cricketer Kelis Ndhlovu, who achieved the feat for Zimbabwe Under-19 against Eagles Women in a domestic T20 tournament in 2024.