UAE's Karthik Palaniapan Meiyappan celebrates his hat-trick during the ICC men’s Twenty20 World Cup 2022 cricket match between Sri Lanka and United Arab Emirates at Kardinia Park in Geelong on 18 October, 2022
UAE's Karthik Palaniapan Meiyappan celebrates his hat-trick during the ICC men’s Twenty20 World Cup 2022 cricket match between Sri Lanka and United Arab Emirates at Kardinia Park in Geelong on 18 October, 2022
Cricket

UAE's Meiyappan claims first hat-trick of 2022 T20 World Cup

AFP Geelong

Karthik Meiyappan of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) took the first hat-trick of the Twenty20 World Cup in Australia on Tuesday, stunning Sri Lanka.

Asian champions Sri Lanka were motoring at 117-2 in the 15th over when the leg-break bowler struck, removing Bhanuka Rajapaksa (five off eight balls), Charith Asalanka (0) and Dasun Shanaka (0) in successive balls.

UAE's Karthik Palaniapan Meiyappan (C) celebrates his hat-trick with teammate UAE's Junaid Siddique (L)

Rajapaksa was caught in the deep, Asalanka caught behind and Shanaka clean-bowled.

The 22-year-old became just the fifth bowler to snare a hat-trick at a T20 World Cup and the first for his country.

He ended with figures of 3-19 off his four overs.

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