DUBLIN: Ireland all-rounder Curtis Camp­her made history by becoming the first male player in professional cricket to claim five wic­k­­ets in five balls, achieving the feat on Thursday.

He did so while playing for Munster Reds during their Inter-Provincial T20 Trophy clash against the North-West Warriors in Dublin, with Munster ultimately winning the match by 100 runs.

Campher began his spell by bowling Jared Wilson and trapping Graham Hume lbw to end the 12th over, then returned in the 14th to complete a hat-trick with the dismissal of Andy McBrine, before removing Robbie Millar and Josh Wilson to finish the streak.

“I wasn’t really sure what was happening,” he told Cricket Ireland. “I just kind of stuck to my guns and kept it real simple and luckily it kind of went off.”

Zimbabwe women’s all-rounder Kelis Ndhlovu was the first in achieving the rare feat, after she claimed five wickets in five consecutive balls during a domestic under-19 T20 match against Eagles Women in 2024.

Published in Dawn, July 12th, 2025