Imran Tahir broke a T20 world record on Friday (August 22), with his five-wicket haul in the Caribbean Premier League.
Imran Tahir takes career-best figures of 5-21
Leading defending champions Guyana Amazon Warriors, Tahir elected to bat first against the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons after winning the toss. Half-centuries from Shai Hope (82) and Shimron Hetmyer (65*) powered Guyana to 211-3.
Match 9, Antigua & Barbuda Falcons vs Guyana Amazon Warriors
vs
- Ball by ball Over
The Falcons started their chase in brisk fashion, as Rahkeem Cornwall hit Dwaine Pretorius for four and six in the first over, before perishing. Jewel Andrew also departed in the third over, but Karima Gore and Bevon Jacobs put the Warriors under the pump, ensuring their side scored 77-3 in the Powerplay, a team record.
Tahir came into the attack in the seventh over and struck with his first ball, beating Shakib Al Hasan with a googly to have him stumped. Four balls later, he had opposition skipper Imad Wasim caught for a duck to turn the game on its head. In his next over, Tahir trapped Shamar Springer plumb in front to reduce the Falcons to 89-6.
Imran Tahir breaks T20 world record with CPL five-for
As the chase disintegrated, Tahir returned in the 14th over to take the eighth and ninth wickets, bowling Usama Mir and Obed McCoy with full deliveries to finish with 5-21, his best figures in T20 cricket; beating his 5-23 for South Africa against Zimbabwe in 2018. At 46 years and 148 days, Tahir became the second-oldest man to take five wickets in a T20 match. In fact, he holds three of the top five entries on that list.
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Overall, it was Tahir's fifth five-wicket haul in T20 cricket, putting him joint-second in the world for that measure behind David Wiese (7), and alongside Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Lasith Malinga, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Shakib Al Hasan.
Perhaps more remarkably, it was his third five-for in the last six years – that is, since he turned 40. He is the first player ever, man or woman, to take three five-wicket hauls after turning 40. Isle of Man international Joanna Hicks is the only other player to do so twice, where player's ages are known.
Oldest players to take a five-for in men's T20 cricket, full list
| Player | Figures | Age | Team | Opposition | Venue | Year |
| Tomakanute Ritawa | 5-19 | 46y 299d | Cook Islands | Fiji | Port vila | 2022 |
| Imran Tahir | 5-21 | 46y 148d | Guyana Amazon Warriors | Antigua & Barbuda Falcons | North Sound | 2025 |
| Imran Tahir | 5-26 | 44y 323d | Rangpur Riders | Khulna | Chattogram | 2024 |
| Prakash Mishra | 5-16 | 44y 165d | Bulgaria | Croatia | Sofia | 2023 |
| Imran Tahir | 5-25 | 42y 135d | Birmingham Phoenix | Welsh Fire | Birmingham | 2021 |
| Santha Moorthy | 5-20 | 41y 129d | Puducherry | Mumbai | Wankhede | 2021 |
| Kenute Tulloch | 5-21 | 41y 7d | Cayman Islands | Bahamas | Coolidge | 2006 |
| Michael Hogan | 5-18 | 40y 361d | Glamorgan | Surrey | The Oval | 2022 |
| Dilruwan Perera | 5-14 | 40y 315d | Burgher Recreation Club | Galle CC | Colombo (CCC) | 2023 |
| Jandre Coetzee | 5-10 | 40y 279d | Thailand | Indonesia | Gelephu | 2024 |
Image credit: YouTube / CPLT20
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