Who is Chad Laycock? The South African pacer has achieved a feat that few bowlers can dream of

South African pacer Chad Laycock made history on Tuesday, October 13, becoming the first South African bowler to take five wickets in a single game in men’s T20 cricket. The KwaZulu-Natal Inland all-rounder found success against the Titans in the CSA T20 Challenge, finishing with career-best figures of 6 for 26 in four matches. He became only the fourth bowler known to have taken five wickets in more than that in men’s T20 cricket.

Before Laycock, Bangladesh’s Al-Amin Hossain, India’s Abhimanyu Mithun and Indonesia’s Gede Priandana achieved it. Al-Amin took five wickets in an over while playing for UCB-BCB XI against Abahani Limited in the 2013-14 Victory Day T20 Cup. Mithun followed it up in the 2019–20 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy semi-final where he produced a performance for Karnataka against Haryana.

Meanwhile, Priandana achieved the feat against Cambodia in December 2025, becoming the first bowler to take five wickets in an over in either men’s or women’s cricket in T20 international cricket.

Despite Laycock’s remarkable spell, the Tuskers suffered a 21-run defeat. The Titans were cruising at 193 for 4 after 18 overs at the Pietermaritzburg Oval when Laycock returned for the penultimate over. Having already claimed a wicket, he proceeded to dismantle the opposition’s lower order in sensational fashion.

Chad Laycock with a FIVE-WICKET penultimate over! The Tuskers fast bowler produced an incredible spell of 6/26 in just four overs against the Momentum Multiply Titans in yesterday’s YesPlay Pro20 Cup match, including a stunning FIVE WICKETS IN ONE OVER in the 19th over of the first innings! An extraordinary performance that will be remembered for a long time! #Unbreakable #DCSA #YesPlayPro20Cup— Domestic Cricket South Africa (@DomesticCSA) October 14, 2026

Laycock first bowled Leuse du Plooy before Dayyaan Galiem picked up two runs off the next delivery. He then dismissed Galiem, who was caught in the deep, before dismissing Aphiwe Mnyanda, Janco Smit and Esosa Aihevba off successive deliveries. Four successive dismissals that followed du Plooy’s wicket earlier in the over completed his remarkable five-wicket haul.

The Titans were eventually bowled out for 204 in 19.5 overs. Lhuan-dre Pretorius top-scored with 81 off 36 balls, while Sinethemba Qeshile contributed 46 off 29 deliveries and Dewald Brevis made 33 off 24. Despite Laycock’s late burst, the Titans secured a 21-run victory.

WHO IS CHAD LAYCOCK?

Laycock’s achievement is particularly notable given his relatively low profile in senior cricket prior to the match. A product of KwaZulu-Natal cricket, the all-rounder began honing his skills at Glenwood High School in Durban where he showed promise with both bat and ball as early as Grade 10.

In 2019, Laycock represented the Railway Union Cricket Club in Ireland as part of a cricket exchange programme. During his time in the club’s first eleven, he impressed, scoring 341 runs and taking 18 wickets. He also scored centuries for the club’s under-17 and under-19 teams and showed his attacking prowess by smashing six sixes in an over.

His performances earned him selection for the KwaZulu-Natal under-17 team. Laycock has since progressed to senior domestic cricket, representing KwaZulu-Natal Inland, also known as the Tuskers.

– The end