Five wickets in one over! South African bowler makes history but still loses match

Taking five wickets in a match is special for any bowler. But imagine taking five in a single over, including four from four consecutive deliveries, and still ending up on the losing side!

That is exactly what happened to South African pacer Chad Laycock, who produced one of the most extraordinary spells in T20 cricket history on Tuesday.

Playing for KwaZulu Natal Inland against Titans in the CSA Pro20 Cup in Pietermaritzburg, Laycock became the first South African to take five wickets in a single over in men's T20 cricket.

He finished with remarkable figures of 6 for 26 from four overs, setting a new competition record.

The Titans were cruising at 193 for four after 18 overs when Laycock returned to bowl the 19th.

What followed was extraordinary.

He bowled Leus du Plooy with his first delivery before Dayyaan Galiem took two runs from the second.

Laycock then dismissed Galiem, Aphiwe Mnyanda, Janco Smit and Esosa Aihevba off four consecutive deliveries.

His incredible spell helped bowl out the Titans for 204 in 19.5 overs.

According to Wisden, Laycock became only the fourth bowler in men's T20 cricket to claim five wickets in a single over.

Bangladesh's Al Amin Hossain achieved the feat in 2013, followed by India's Abhimanyu Mithun in 2019 and Indonesia's Gede Priandana in 2025.

Laycock also broke the CSA Pro20 Cup record for best bowling figures, surpassing Beuran Hendricks' 6 for 29 from 2014.

Despite his historic performance, Laycock could not inspire his team to victory.

The young allrounder also contributed an unbeaten 31 from 25 deliveries, but KwaZulu Natal Inland finished on 183 for six, losing by 21 runs.

Earlier, Titans opener Lhuan dre Pretorius had smashed 81 from just 36 deliveries, providing the foundation for his team's winning total.

For Laycock, it was a performance to remember, even if the result was one he would rather forget.

Five wickets in an over, six in the match and a place in cricket's record books.

Unfortunately, no victory to celebrate.