Ireland’s Curtis Campher Makes History with 5 Wickets in 5 Balls!
Dublin: Irish pace-bowling all-rounder Curtis Campher created cricketing history by becoming the first male cricketer in professional cricket to claim five wickets in five consecutive deliveries.
The incredible feat took place on Thursday during a match of the Inter-Provincial T20 Trophy, where Campher was representing Munster Reds against North West Warriors.
His bowling figures read an astonishing 2.3 overs, 0 maidens, 16 runs, and 5 wickets. He first struck twice off the last two deliveries of one over. Then, returning for his next over, Campher dismissed three more batsmen in the first three balls, completing a hat-trick. He didn’t stop there—his fourth and fifth deliveries also fetched wickets, accounting for the final two batsmen and ending the opposition’s innings.
North West Warriors were bowled out for just 88 runs, chasing Munster Reds’ total of 188/7, in which Campher also top-scored with 44 runs. Five North West batters were dismissed for ducks.
Naturally, Campher was awarded the Player of the Match.
The 26-year-old has already represented Ireland in 110 international matches, scoring nearly 2,000 runs and taking 70 wickets. While he has featured in various T20 leagues across the globe, he is yet to debut in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Interestingly, while this is a world-first in men’s cricket, a similar record exists in women’s cricket: Zimbabwe’s Kelis Ndhlovu claimed five wickets in five balls in a domestic T20 match in 2023.