The main round of the T20 World Cup is still a few days away, but the qualifiers are turning out to be the perfect prelude to the tournament proper with dramatic matches and performances building up the tempo.
While the Scots were the headline–grabbers on Sunday stunning a more-fancied Bangladesh, on Monday it was Curtis Campher from neighbouring Ireland who stole the show, becoming only the third player to claim four wickets in four balls in international cricket.
Courtesy Curtis, an all-rounder who bowls right-arm medium pace, Ireland outplayed the Netherlands in a Group A qualifying match of the T20 World Cup at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. The Irishmen first bowled out the Dutch for 106 and then raced to the target in 15.1 overs for the loss of three wickets.
Gareth Delany (44) and Paul Stirling (30 not out) starred with the bat for Ireland, who had lost their T20 World Cup games to the same opponents in 2014 and 2016.
The Netherlands were in early trouble after choosing to bat as they lost Ben Cooper in the very first over. They failed to make use of the Powerplay thereafter, managing just 25/2 in the first six overs.
Colin Ackerman and Max O’Dowd were trying to stitch up the Dutch innings when Curtis, who was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, struck in the 10th over of the innings. It was the 22-year-old’s second over of the day, having gone for 12 in his first.
He first dismissed Ackermann caught down the leg side after umpire Rod Tucker’s not out decision was overturned on a review by Ireland. Former Kolkata Knight Riders player Ryan ten Doeschate was then adjudged lbw. Curtis completed his hat-trick when Scott Edwards too was trapped leg before, a dismissal for which the Irish once again had to go for a review.
From being the first Ireland bowler to get a hat-trick in T20Is, Curtis went to make it four in four when Roelof van der Merwe dragged a seemingly innocuous delivery onto his stumps.
Curtis, who played U-19 cricket for the Proteas and moved to Ireland only in early 2020, thus joined Sri Lanka great Lasith Malinga and Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan in owning the rare feat of taking four wickets off four balls in international cricket.
Brief scores:
Netherlands 106 in 20 ovs (Curtis Campher 4/26, Mark Adair 3/9). Ireland 107/3 in 15.1 ovs (Gareth Delany 44). Ireland won by 7 wkts.
