In the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup East Asia-Pacific Qualifier, Kepler Lukies, a 16-year-old pacer from the Philippines, achieved a remarkable feat. He made history by becoming the youngest men’s cricketer to secure a five-wicket haul in T20 International matches, achieving this milestone at the age of just 16 years and 145 days.
Lukies’ outstanding performance has left a mark in the record books, showcasing his immense talent and potential in the world of cricket.
On July 29, despite a losing cause for the Philippines, Kepler Lukies displayed an impressive and economical performance against Vanuatu in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup East Asia-Pacific Qualifier. Defending a challenging total of 94, the 16-year-old pacer wreaked havoc with the new ball.
Lukies achieved a remarkable five-wicket haul by taking five crucial wickets during the match. His first breakthrough came in the third over when he dismissed Clement Tommy, who scored a single-digit total.
In the following over, Lukies struck thrice in consecutive deliveries, claiming the wickets of Andrew Mansale and Joshua Rasu. To add to his outstanding performance, he also removed Vanuatu’s skipper, Ronald Tari, who departed without scoring a run.
With this remarkable achievement, Lukies rewrote the record books, becoming the youngest men’s cricketer to secure a five-wicket haul in T20 International matches.
The previous record was held by Sierra Leone’s Samuel Conteh, who achieved this feat at the age of 18 years and 29 days against Nigeria in 2021. Before him, Afghanistan’s leg-spinner, Rashid Khan, held the record for his fifer against Ireland in 2017 at the age of 18 years and 171 days.
In the match against Vanuatu, Kepler Lukies’ outstanding performance with the ball couldn’t prevent the Philippines from suffering a defeat. Vanuatu found themselves in a tough spot at 40/5 in the seventh over, thanks to Lukies’ impressive bowling. He conceded only 10 runs from his four overs, including a maiden, and took a memorable five-wicket haul.
However, despite Lukies’ efforts, opener Nalin Nipiko and Simpson Obed’s unbeaten 39-run partnership for the seventh wicket turned the game in Vanuatu’s favor. They managed to chase down the target in the 17th over with 23 balls to spare, resulting in a three-wicket win for Vanuatu.
With this loss, the Philippines now find themselves at the bottom of the points table with just one win from six games. Vanuatu, on the other hand, holds the third position with two wins from four games.
Meanwhile, Papua New Guinea (PNG) has secured the top spot on the points table with a perfect record of six wins from six games. PNG’s impressive performance has also earned them qualification for the T20 World Cup 2024, which will be jointly hosted by the USA and the West Indies.
