Bowler makes history with five wickets in five balls

New Zealander Brett Randell has become the first bowler in the 254-year history of first-class cricket to take five wickets in five balls.

The 30-year-old created the piece of cricket history playing for Central Stags on day two of their match against Northern Districts in New Zealand's Plunket Shield.

"I'm pretty blown away," said Randell. "The high was pretty crazy, it was like a pinch-me moment.

"I was trying to stay level-headed and keep putting the ball in the same area and then after the actual hat-trick [three wickets in three deliveries], just the same things - trying to put the ball in the same area."

Randall took the first wicket of his five in a row at the end of his second over before taking the rest from the start of his third over as Northern Districts slumped from 4-0 to 9-5.

The right-arm medium pacer had figures of 5-2 at that point and took a wicket with the first ball of his fourth over to make it six wickets in eight balls.

He later dismissed another batter and finished with figures of 7-25.

"It gets drummed into us a lot that we don't want to go searching for wickets, so I was trying to just keep bowling the same ball, and our 'Plan A' that we'd talked about, and it came off," said Randall.

"I had no idea that it was the first time it [five wicket in five balls in first-class cricket] had happened in the world, it's seriously cool.

"I mean, I don't really have any words at the moment, to be honest. I'll take it."

While it is the first time a player has achieved the feat in first-class cricket, it is not the first time a player has taken five wickets in five balls in all formats.

Ireland international Curtis Campher became the first male player to do so in a professional match in July 2025 in a domestic T20 game.

Zimbabwe Women all-rounder Kelis Ndhlovu previously took five wickets in five balls in a domestic under-19 T20 in 2024.