In men’s Twenty20 cricket, Imran Tahir has beaten the record for the oldest bowler to take five wickets. In the Caribbean Premier League 2026 on Thursday, September 10, the South African leg-spinner, who is 47 years and 166 days old, returned figures of 5-17 for the Guyana Amazon Warriors against Saint Lucia Kings at Providence Stadium in Guyana. Additionally, it was his best bowling return in the format to date.
It’s interesting to note that Tahir appears three more times among the top ten oldest bowlers to score a five-for in the game’s shortest format. He became the second-oldest overall and currently holds the global record after doing the same for the Warriors the previous season.
Player
Age
Bowling figures
Team
Opponent
Ground
Year
Imran Tahir
47y 166d
5-17
Guyana Amazon Warriors
St Lucia Kings
Providence
2026
Tomakunte Ritawa
46y 299d
5-19
Cook Islands
Fiji
Port Vila
2022
Imran Tahir
46y 148d
5-21
Guyana Amazon Warriors
Antigua and Barbuda Falcons
North Sound
2025
Imran Tahir
44y 323d
5-26
Rangpur Riders
Khulna Tigers
Chattogram
2024
Prakash Mishra
44y 165d
5-16
Bulgaria
Croatia
Sofia
2023
Imran Tahir
42y 135d
5-25
Birmingham Phoenix
Welsh Fire
Birmingham
2021
Santha Moorthy
41y 129d
5-20
Puducherry
Mumbai
Wankhede
2021
Kenute Tulloch
41y 7d
5-21
Cayman Islands
Bahamas
Coolidge
2006
Michael Hogan
40y 361d
5-18
Glamorgan
Surrey
The Oval
2022
Dilruwan Perera
40y 315d
5-14
Burgher Recreation Club
Galle CC
Colombo (CCC)
2023
At the age of 46 years and 299 days, Cook Islands spinner Tomakunte Ritawa held the previous record, taking 5-19 against Fiji at Port Vila in 2022. Tahir is now the oldest man in men’s T20 cricket history to bowl a side out with five wickets, surpassing that record by a wide margin.
This accomplishment is especially noteworthy because Tahir himself holds three more spots in the top 10 on the all-time list. When he was 46 years and 148 days old in 2025, he had previously finished second after winning 5-21 for the Guyana Amazon Warriors against the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons at North Sound. He is now claiming the outright record, surpassing even that milestone.
In addition to Tahir and Ritawa, Prakash Mishra, who took 5-16 for Bulgaria versus Croatia in Sofia in 2023 at the age of 44 years and 165 days, is on the all-time list. At 41 years and 129 days old, Santha Moorthy scored 5-20 for Puducherry against Mumbai at the Wankhede Stadium in 2021. At 41 years and 7 days old, Kenute Tulloch scored 5-21 for the Cayman Islands against the Bahamas at Coolidge in 2006.
Tahir is in his own category with four entries in the top ten. At his current age, no other bowler in men’s T20 cricket has taken five wickets, and his most recent performance in CPL 2026 has further broken that record.
