Brett Randell Claims Five in Five, Espncricinfo Notes First-Class Record

Brett Randell became the first bowler in 254 years of first-class cricket to take five wickets in five balls while Central Stags bowled Northern Districts out for 82 in reply to 373. Saturday at 9: 00 a. m. ET — the 30-year-old milestone, highlighted on espncricinfo, is the sport’s first such feat.

Espncricinfo: Randell’s five-in-five and precise sequence

Randell produced the five wickets in five balls across the end of his second over and the start of his third, reducing Northern Districts from 4-0 to 9-5; the spell left him with figures of 5-2 at that point. The milestone appears on espncricinfo and is recorded as the first occurrence in first-class history spanning 254 years.

Central Stags’ Napier display leaves Northern Districts 82 all out

The match, a Plunket Shield fixture in Napier on day two, saw Central Stags post 373 before Randell’s burst helped bowl Northern Districts for 82 in reply. Randell, a 30-year-old right-arm medium pacer who had a short spell at Somerset in 2024, finished with match figures of 7-25 from 11 overs as Northern Districts were rolled.

Randell’s reaction and links to Campher and Ndhlovu feats

Randell said: “I’m pretty blown away. The high was pretty crazy, it was like a pinch-me moment. ” He added: “I was trying to stay level-headed and keep putting the ball in the same area and then after the actual hat-trick, just the same things – trying to put the ball in the same area. ” The sequence extended beyond the five-in-five; he claimed a wicket with the first ball of his fourth over to total six wickets in eight balls and later another to finish 7-25.

Prior instances of five wickets in five balls came in shorter formats: Curtis Campher took five in five in a domestic T20, and Kelis Ndhlovu achieved the feat in an under-19 T20 in 2024, but Randell’s achievement is the first in first-class cricket’s long history.

No next confirmed event with an ET time is listed in the available details.