He won the IPL purple cap at the age of 40, now Imran Tahir breaks the world record at 47; becomes the oldest to take five wickets in T20s

Imran Tahir breaks T20 world record Imran Tahir turned back the clock in the Caribbean Premier League with a sensational five-wicket haul that created history and helped Guyana’s Amazon Warriors record their seventh win in eight matches of the season. The 47-year-old leg-spinner returned figures of 5/17 against the Saint Lucia Kings in Providence to become the oldest cricketer ever to take five wickets in men’s T20 cricket.At 47 years and 166 days, Tahir surpassed the previous record held by Tomakunte Ritawa, who took 5/19 for the Cook Islands against Fiji in 2022 at the age of 46 years and 299 days.

Tahir adds another record to his remarkable T20 career

The last five for was Tahir’s sixth career T20 and another reminder of his remarkable longevity in the shortest format. Interestingly, Tahir had already topped the previous list of oldest bowlers to take five wickets. In 2025, aged 46 years and 148 days, he took 5/21 for the Guyana Amazon Warriors against the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons.He also took five wickets for Rangpur Riders in 2024 and Birmingham Phoenix in 2021.

Oldest bowlers to take five wickets in men’s T20s

RankingPlayerAgeBowling FiguresTeamYear1Imran Tahir47 years 166d5/17Guyana Amazon Warriors20262Tomakunte Ritawa46y 299d5/19Cook Islands20223Imran Tahir46y 148d5/21Guyana Amazon Warriors20254Imran Tahir44y 323d5/26Rangpur Riders46y Mi 165d5/16Bulgaria20236Imran Tahir42y 135d5/25Birmingham Phoenix20217Santha Moorthy41y 129d5/20Puducherry20218Kenut Tulloch41y 7d5/21Cayman Islands Hogan Islands40069Micha20 361d5/18Glamorgan202210Dilruwan Perera40y 315d5/14Burger Recreation Club2023

Tahir’s five-for puts Kings under pressure

Tahir’s spell proved decisive as the Saint Lucia Kings looked to build a commanding unit. The Kings were eventually helped by a crucial 38-run partnership for the final which gave them a more respectable score after the Warriors bowlers kept them under pressure. Tahir was an outstanding bowler while Miraz also impressed with 3/13 from his four overs.Despite some disciplined bowling from the Saint Lucia Kings spinners, the target was ultimately not enough to prevent the Warriors from completing the chase. Phillips and Hope contributed useful runs before Sampson’s explosive 37 from just 11 balls provided the decisive final blow.The Warriors eventually sealed the victory by four wickets, bouncing back immediately after their rare defeat against the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons.‘My son is the main one pushing me’: TahirAfter being named the man of the match, Tahir revealed that his biggest motivation is his son, who continues to encourage him to continue playing.“My son, he’s the main guy who pushes me. He keeps telling me, dad, one more year, one more year and you need to play with me,” Tahir said after the game.