Chennai-born UAE spinner takes first hat-trick at T20 WC 2022

MELBOURNE: Leg-spinner Karthik Meiyappan of the United Arab Emirates took the first hat-trick of the T20 World Cup 2022, sending back three Sri Lankan batters in their first-round match on Tuesday.

Meiyappan struck in the 15th over when Sri Lanka were cruising along nicely at 117-2 at Geelong. He began by getting the big-hitting Bhanuka Rajapaksa caught at deep cover off the fourth ball of the innings. The next one moved the other way and left-handed Charith Asalanka was caught behind off a fine edge.

The last ball of the innings was a beauty, pitching on the off stump and turning just a shade to beat skipper Dasun Shanaka’s defensive prod and clip the bails.

22-year-old Meiyappan ended with figures of 3-19 off his four overs. “There wasn’t so much purchase off the wicket, but it was important to keep it wicket to wicket, if they miss I hit,” Meiyappan said at innings break.

Meiyappan became just the fifth bowler to snare a hat-trick at a T20 World Cup and the first for his country.

The other four to record a hat trick in a T20 world Cup are: Brett Lee (2007), Curtis Campher (2021), Wanindu Hasaranga (2021) and Kagiso Rabada (2021). Meiyappan was born in Chennai, and grew up in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, before his family settled in Dubai in 2012. He made his One Day International (ODI) debut for the UAE in 2019 and also represented the UAE at the 2020 Under-19 Cricket World Cup.