Ireland all-rounder Curtis Campher made history by taking four wickets in four balls during his side’s T20 World Cup qualifier victory over Netherlands in Abu Dhabi.
He became the first bowler ever to achieve the feat in a T20 World Cup, and helped to bowl Netherlands out for 106 in the process.
Campher was brought into the attack to bowl the seventh over, but went for 12 runs in his first six legal deliveries.
His second over – the 10th of the innings – was a game-changer. The 22-year-old’s second delivery removed Leicestershire’s Colin Ackermann, who had initially been given not out on the field but was adjudged to have edged the ball to wicketkeeper Neil Rock after a review.
Campher then trapped Ryan ten Doeschate leg before wicket with his next delivery, before removing Scott Edwards via the same mode of dismissal – again after a successful review – to become the first Irishman to take a T20I hat-trick.
Then, in the fifth delivery of the over, Roelof van der Merwe chopped a wide delivery onto his stumps to give Campher his fourth wicket in four balls.
In response, Ireland successfully chased down their target of 107 with seven wickets in hand and 4.5 overs remaining. Gareth Delany top scored with 44 from 29 balls.
Campher’s reaction to incredible feat
Campher – who was also not out with the bat at the end – was unsurprisingly named as Player of the Match.
He told Sky Sports: “To be honest, I didn’t feel the best out there. I’ve just come back from injury.”
“I just tried to bang the wicket down, keep hitting that hard length. The first over didn’t go as planned, and obviously the skipper had faith in me and it just worked out.”
The seven-wicket victory means that Ireland now need two more wins to secure qualification through to the second round of the T20 World Cup as one of two of their group’s qualifiers.
The other two members of the group, Namibia and Sri Lanka, play each other later on this afternoon.
Featured Image Credit: Getty
