Cricket: Kiwi Brett Randell makes history with five wickets in five balls for Central Districts

Brett Randell celebrates his impressive haul against Northern Districts. Photo / New Zealand Cricket

Central Districts bowler Brett Randell has created history in the Plunket Shield by taking five wickets in five balls on day two of their clash with Northern Districts in Napier.

Randell started the damage with the final ball of his second over, before taking four in four to begin his third – earning a so-called triple hat-trick.

The Northern Districts batters were able to see off the next two balls, before Randell returned for his fourth over, where he took two more. At one point, he had figures of seven wickets for four runs.

Speaking to Newstalk ZB from an ice bath at the conclusion of play on day two, Randell said there had been a whirlwind of emotions across the day.

“It’s pretty nuts mate to be honest,” Randell said. “I’m ready for bed.

“Just all the emotions and stuff coming down from that high was pretty big but super stoked to put on a performance for the boys today and put us in a position to win this game.

“I was trying to stay pretty level headed. I can’t remember the last time I got a hat trick so I was trying to stay pretty calm and put the ball in the same area, not get too greedy so thankfully I was able to do that and then later on after those next two I was just getting into the huddle with the boys and just literally saying what is going on? It was a real pinch me moment for sure.”

He is the first cricketer to take five in five in a domestic first-class match, with the feat previously being achieved by Zimbabwe’s Kelis Ndhlovu in a domestic Under-19 Twenty20 match in 2024, while Ireland international Curtis Campher did the same during an Interprovincial T20 Trophy game last July in Dublin.

Randell becomes the eighth player for the Stags to take a first-class hat-trick in 75 years of the Plunket Shield, joining Gary Bartlett, Matt Toynbee, Peter Visser, Tim Anderson, Mitch McClenaghan, Kieran Noema-Barnett and Blair Tickner in the record books.

In Randell’s 37 previous first-class matches, the 30-year-old had only claimed more than five wickets in an innings on two occasions.

Central Districts started the day at McLean Park on 347/8 before eventually being bowled out for 373.

In reply, Northern Districts got off to a bad start when Randell dismissed Henry Cooper with the last ball of his second over.

He returned for his next over to first claim the scalp of former Black Caps opener Jeet Raval before claiming his hat-trick when he had Joe Carter caught behind.

Carter was shaking his head profusely, indicating he didn’t hit the ball before eventually departing.

Randell then got Robbie O’Donnell caught out in the slips before Kristian Clarke became the fifth victim, clipping the ball, which bounced before hitting the stumps.

Randall’s next two balls didn’t having much luck, but in his fourth over, he claimed the wickets of Ben Pomare and Scott Kuggeleijn.

Northern Districts were eventually bowled out for 82 and were forced into the follow on, where they reached 162/5 at stumps.

“We’re still bowling at the moment so we’ve got to get out there and take five more wickets and they’re still a few runs behind us so we’ll make it as hard for them as possible and hopefully we can take those wickets before they get past our score,” Randell said.

“The lads are still in shock really. We don’t really know what’s going on but we’re just trying to enjoy what’s happened but make sure that we come back tomorrow and put in a shift to win this game.”

Surprisingly, Randell couldn’t add to his wicket tally, with Ray Toole leading the charge with four second innings scalps.

Ben Francis is an Auckland-based reporter for the New Zealand Herald who covers breaking sports news.