CPL: 3 best bowling figures in Caribbean Premier League history
The 8th edition of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) is all set to commence on the 18th of August, and teams are currently involved in the final stage of their preparatory camps.
Seven 5-wicket hauls have been taken in the CPL so far, all by bowlers from three teams - Guyana Amazon Warriors, Trinbago Knight Riders (formerly Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel) and Barbados Tridents.
Best bowling figures in CPL history
We take a look at the 3 best bowling figures in the history of the CPL. Incredibly, all three were at the same venue - the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados.
Also Read: 3 teams with the most titles in CPL history
#3 Hayden Walsh Jr (4-0-19-5)
In the 23rd game of the 2019 CPL, Barbados Tridents leg-spinner Hayden Walsh Jr registered the third-best bowling figures in the history of the tournament, against the Trinbago Knight Riders.
After his team put up a massive total of 192 on the back of fifties from Johnson Charles, Jonathan Carter and JP Duminy, Walsh ran through the middle order to finish with figures of 5 for 19 in his 4 overs. He picked up the wickets of Denesh Ramdin, Darren Bravo, Kieron Pollard, James Neesham and Seekkuge Prasanna, all in the space of 6 overs.
The Knight Riders were bowled out for just 129 in 17.4 overs, resulting in a 63-run win for the Tridents. Incredibly, Walsh didn't win the Man of the Match award. The accolade was presented to Duminy for his whirlwind fifty, which is still the fastest half-century in the history of the CPL (15 balls).
#2 Sohail Tanvir (4-1-3-5)
Sohail Tanvir holds the unique record of having registered the second-best bowling figures in both the IPL and the CPL. While his 6 for 14 for Rajasthan Royals in the inaugural edition of the IPL was record-breaking, his 5 for 3 in the 2017 edition of the CPL for the Guyana Amazon Warriors was equally impressive.
In a game against the Barbados Tridents, Tanvir picked up the massive wickets of Kane Williamson, Dwayne Smith, Eoin Morgan, Kieron Pollard and Wahab Riaz to bowl them out for just 59 in their pursuit of 159. The Pakistan pacer bowled 22 dot balls in his 24-ball spell, with his economy rate reading an unbelievable 0.75.
Needless to say, Tanvir was adjudged the Man of the Match.
#1 Shakib Al Hasan (4-1-6-6)
In the very first edition of the CPL, Shakib Al Hasan claimed 6 wickets while conceding just 6 runs, while playing for the Barbados Tridents against the Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel. These figures haven't yet been bettered in the 6 editions of the CPL that have followed.
After the Red Steel elected to bat, the Bangladesh spinner wreaked havoc after coming into the attack in the 5th over. Shakib scalped the wickets of Ross Taylor, Dwayne Bravo, Kevin O'Brien, Nicholas Pooran, Kevon Cooper and Samuel Badree in his 4-over spell.
The Red Steel were bowled out for just 52 runs, with the left-arm spinner even taking a couple of catches. However, the Tridents didn't exactly coast towards their target. Fidel Edwards' 5-wicket haul reduced them to 39/6, but they managed to limp across the line with 4 wickets to spare.
Shakib managed only one run with the bat, but was rightfully awarded the Man of the Match.