5 wickets for 3 runs, watch T20 cricket's most astonishing spell

Photo: CPL

New Delhi: Kane Williamson 0, Eoin Morgan 0, Kieron Pollard 0. You don’t always associate that number beside these batsmen, who on their day can add a double digit ahead of that zero to single handedly decimate an opposition. Then again, you don’t always see a side getting bowled out for 59 in a T20 match. Purists would say what sport is without these days filled with never-heard-that-before incidents. So, Tuesday was one of those days and it was certainly not Williamson’s, Morgan’s or Pollard’s, neither was it for any of the Barbados Tridents batsmen. The day belonged to a wrong-footed forgotten left-armer – Sohail Tanvir.

The Pakistan quick, not known for bowling quick though, relied on what suits him the best – to swing the ball, to such perfection that he bulldozed over the top order comprising of some fiercest international names and mercilessly crushed the last man standing on a return spell to close out the match. Guyana Amazon Warriors won by a whopping 99 runs to stay alive in the play-off race of CPL.

1st strike for the Warriors! Williamson goes#CPL17 #BiggestPartyInSport #BTvGAW pic.twitter.com/Grl4wXFfU9

— CPL T20 (@CPL) August 30, 2017

And in case it was not mentioned earlier, Tanvir took 5 wickets for 3 runs – the least conceded in a 5-wicket haul in the history of T20 cricket. 

The carnage started with Williamson, who sliced one to third man after failing to get off the mark for five testing Tanvir deliveries.  An over later, Dwayne Smith edged one to keeper Luke Ronchi for 2, that after getting a reprieve off the previous delivery. 

Tanvir was just warming up. He was getting considerable movement both in the air and off the pitch. In his third over he bowled two of his best deliveries back to back to nip out two of the best players of the format for first ball ducks. 

Dead duck! Morgan goes first ball trapped right in front! Golden duck!#CPL17 #BiggestPartyInSport #BTvGAW pic.twitter.com/uzaBUP6Ef1

— CPL T20 (@CPL) August 30, 2017

Morgan received an in dipper that came back sharply off length, giving the England captain no time to get his bat inline. Pollard was done by a similar delivery, only difference was that the angle took it away from him, caught the edge of the bat and looped to the keeper. 

Sohail Tanvir is unplayable! pollard goes for a duck!

13 for 5...half the side gone!#CPL17 #BiggestPartyInSport #BTvGAW pic.twitter.com/fVDLflHSPk

— CPL T20 (@CPL) August 30, 2017

In the 159-run chase, Barabdos were 13 for 5, slipping rather rapidly on the banana swing of Tanvir. And as it turned out they were bowled out for 59, with five falling without troubling the scorers, four of them to Tanvir.