Brett Randell has etched his name into the record books in spectacular fashion, becoming the first bowler in 254 years of first-class cricket to claim five wickets with five consecutive deliveries.
The 30-year-old New Zealand seamer pulled off the remarkable feat while representing Central Stags against Northern Districts in the Plunket Shield earlier today.
Northern Districts were cruising at 4-0 before Randell's devastating spell sent them tumbling to 9-5 in the blink of an eye.
The right-arm medium pacer grabbed his first scalp at the close of his second over, then rattled through four more batters from the start of his third.
Brett Randell has made history by becoming the first bowler in 254 years of first-class cricket to claim five wickets with five consecutive deliveries
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He wrapped up his spell with figures of 7-25, also becoming the first player to snare six wickets in just eight balls.
Randell was left stunned by what he'd just accomplished on the pitch.
"I'm pretty blown away," he said.
"The high was pretty crazy, it was like a pinch-me moment."
The bowler had no clue he'd just made history, focusing instead on sticking to his game plan rather than chasing wickets.
"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," Randell explained.
Five wickets in five balls for Central Districts' Brett Randell – the first-ever instance in first-class cricket! pic.twitter.com/7qdJ9JPSxx
— Rahul (@exceedingxpuns) March 8, 2026
When told nobody had ever managed five in five across 254 years of first-class cricket, he was genuinely taken aback.
"I had no idea that it was the first time it had happened in the world, it's seriously cool," he admitted.
"I mean, I don't really have any words at the moment, to be honest. I'll take it."
While Randell's achievement stands alone in first-class cricket, the feat has been accomplished before in shorter formats of the game.
Brett Randell had no idea he had even claimed the feat at the time
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Ireland international Curtis Campher became the first male player to take five wickets in five balls during a professional match back in July 2025, doing so in a domestic T20 fixture.
Before that, Zimbabwe Women all-rounder Kelis Ndhlovu managed the same incredible bowling sequence in a domestic under-19 T20 match in 2024.
But what makes Randell's accomplishment so special is the context – first-class cricket has been played since 1772, and in all that time, nobody had ever strung together five dismissals in five deliveries.
It's a moment that will be remembered for generations to come.