- July 11, 2025
Can you imagine having blinked and missing five wickets? What else do you do when Curtis Campher decides to write himself into cricket folklore? It wasn’t a hot contract in a franchised game or a World Cup final but a low-key Inter-Provincial T20 in Ireland. What happened was exceptional, though. In fact, for Munster Reds, Campher bowled a spell that was a logical impossibility, five wickets in five balls. That’s right, five-in-five, no joke!
Breaking Down the Five-Ball Mayhem
The wicket spree started innocently enough … Jared Wilson appeared to have just been bowled by a nicely pitched inswinger that made a mess of his stumps. Next up, Graham Hume was dismissed lbw. And, all of a sudden, there it was, hat-trick ball, but Campher wasn’t finished.
The fourth victim, Andy McBrine, tried to go over mid-on but found a fielder on the deep mid-wicket boundary. Three in three. Hat trick completed. Time to slow down? Not for Campher.
He followed that up with a fine edge from Robbie Millar, who was caught behind trying to fend one off. Four in four. The crowd was buzzing. Social media was buzzing. The final nail? Josh Wilson bowled, pushed to play, and simply shook his head.
That’s five wickets in five deliveries. No one has done that at a professional level in cricket. To put this into perspective, even taking four wickets in four balls is a real achievement in T20s, with only Lasith Malinga, Rashid Khan, and Campher himself (article T20 World Cup 2021) having accomplished that. But five? That has not been done yet.
From Injury to Insanity – The Comeback Story
While the scorecard stayed modest, Campher’s presence roared—more about resilience than raw results. Campher had already made headlines with his first innings 57 for his return, so now he had a sensational return.
There is so much that one does not think to appreciate about the stressors of injury recoveries, and it is especially in cricket when rhythm is essential when you return. Campher even alluded to being dark during his rehab. In that sense, he not only played, but he went out to dominate.
It is those battles behind the scenes that make such a feat even more special. His calm quote after the showing? “I just kind of stuck to my guns and kept it really simple.” Classic understatement from a guy who just did something nobody else in men’s cricket history has done.
Campher’s Milestone, Ndhlovu’s Legacy: Cricket’s New Chapter
Before we anoint Campher the first-ever, let’s get our facts right. Technically, he isn’t the first person. The first person to complete this feat is Kelis Ndhlovu, the Zimbabwe Women’s U-19 star who had accomplished the very same feat earlier this year in a domestic T20. Hats off to her—trailblazers are often of the people that go unnoticed in the world, and only observed in hindsight when there is a larger stage to shine on.
Nonetheless, Campher’s accomplishment is significant. It’s not merely about the firsts and records based on gender: it is about the enchantment of the game. This is the sort of story that reminds us of why we fell in love with cricket: you never really know what is about to unfold!
One thought – will six in six ever be a thing in professional cricket? And will it be Campher?
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