SA-born Campher takes four wickets in four balls for Ireland

Ireland fast bowler Curtis Campher took four wickets in four balls to help bowl out the Netherlands for just 106 in a first round match of the Twenty20 World Cup on Monday.

Campher, 22 and an old boy of St Stithians College, took a hat-trick and then struck again to return figures of 4-26 in the Group A opener in Abu Dhabi.

Fellow quick Mark Adair returned impressive figures of 3-9 – Ireland’s most economical bowling ever in T20 World Cup.

The Netherlands never got going after opener Ben Cooper was run out in the first over following a mix up with partner Max O’Dowd, who top-scored with 51.

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Campher sent back Colin Ackermann (11), Ryan ten Doeschate (0) and Scott Edwards (0) for a hat-trick and then bowled Roelof van der Merwe (0) in a sensational over.

He becomes only the third bowler in T20 International history to achieve the feat after Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan and Lasith Malinga of Sri Lanka in 2019.

The Johannesburg-born Campher is also just the second player with a hat-trick in the men’s T20 World Cup after Australia fast bowler Brett Lee, who achieved the feat against Bangladesh in the inaugural edition in 2007.

Campher, 22, had a T20 best of 3-19 from his previous four matches since making his debut in August against Zimbabwe in Dublin.

He switched ends in the match on Monday and got instant success after Ireland reviewed a caught behind for Ackermann with the ultra edge technology showing a spike when the ball passed the batsman’s gloves.

Technology helped Campher once again on the hat-trick ball when Edwards was given not out for an lbw call by the on-field official but replays suggested the ball would have hit the leg stump.

Skipper Pieter Seelaar scored 21 to take Netherlands past the 100-run mark. 

Sri Lanka, the 2014 champions, face Namibia later Monday in the second fixture in Group A.