Imran Tahir becomes second-oldest bowler to claim T20 five-for

North Sound: At 46 years and 148 days, Imran Tahir etched his name into the record books on Saturday by becoming the second-oldest bowler to take a five-wicket haul in T20 cricket.

The Guyana Amazon Warriors’ skipper produced a spell of vintage leg-spin in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2025, dismantling the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons in North Sound with figures of 5/21 in four overs, including a maiden.

His effort not only powered Guyana to a resounding 84-run victory but also saw him eclipse several long-standing milestones in the shortest format.

Defending the Warriors’ massive total of 211 runs, Tahir struck gold with his very first delivery after the Powerplay, dismissing Shakib Al Hasan stumped. He then went on a tear, trapping rival skipper Imad Wasim for a four-ball duck in the same over before nailing Shamar Springer lbw in his next. The veteran returned to clean up the tail, bowling out two lower-order batters to complete his historic five-for.

Tahir’s feat also made him the oldest captain in T20 history to record a five-wicket haul, becoming the first ever to achieve it in his forties. The record was previously held by Malawi’s Moazzam Ali Baig, who took 5/22 against Cameroon back in September 2004. Tahir is now second only to Tomakanute Ritawa (5/19 against Fiji in 2022) on the list of oldest bowlers to bag a five-for in all T20s.

This spell was Tahir’s fifth five-wicket haul in T20 cricket, which places him joint-second on the all-time list alongside Lasith Malinga, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shaheen Afridi, and Shakib Al Hasan. Only David Wiese leads the charts with seven five-fors across his 402-match career.

Since debuting in the format in 2006, Tahir has played 435 T20 matches, claiming 554 wickets at an average of 19.66. He now sits fourth on the all-time wicket-takers list, and remains one of the most prolific bowlers in the history of the game.

IANS