T20 World Cup 2021 |My heart was racing high but I tried to make sure I manage my skills, says Curtis Campher
Curtis Campher achieved a rare feat of taking 4 wickets in 4 balls against Netherland
|After achieving a rare feat of taking four wickets in four balls, Ireland pacer Curtis Campher has said that his heart was racing quite high but he tried to make sure to manage his skills before the hat-trick ball. Campher also became the first bowler to do so in a T20 World Cup.
Ireland won by seven wickets against Netherland on Monday at Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi. Bowling first, they bundled out the opposition on a meager total of 106. Curtis Campher making his World Cup debut achieved a rare feat and was adjudged player of the match. Campher dismissed four batsmen in four balls becoming the third bowler to do so in T20 internationals after Rashid Khan and Lasith Malinga. He also became the first bowler to do so in T20 World Cup.
The first over by Campher was expensive where he leaked 12 runs. Coming into the second over, he changed his fortunes. He first dismissed Colin Ackermann when Ackermann snicked a short delivery down the leg to the wicketkeeper. He then bowled next deliveries in stumps and dismissed Ryan ten Doeschate and Scott Edwards LBW. Roelof van der Merwe was the next batsman to be dismissed who dragged the delivery outside off on the stumps. Reflecting on his rare feat, Campher said that the two LBW dismissals were plans worked out from the analyst and also added that he is happy with the win.Â
To be honest, I wasn't really thinking about it [emulating Malinga and Rashid]. Maybe it will set in a little bit later, but I'm just trying to do what I want to do - when Tendo walked in we knew we had to go straight to him and that worked and then just carried on to Edwards too. Both those [attacking the stumps] were plans worked out from the analyst and that kind of fit into my game, so maybe in a few hours or a few days, it might rub off. But to be honest, I'm just happy with the win and that's all that matters,” Campher said in post-match press conference.Â
Campher also became the second bowler after Bret Lee to take a hat-trick in T20 World Cup. Sharing the emotions he was going through before bowling the hattrick ball, he stated that his heart was racing quite high.
"My heart was racing quite high, but I just took a few deep breaths at the top of my run and just tried to make sure I manage my skills. Obviously, I didn't really finish the last over as well as I wanted to, but I'm learning and I'm young. I'm just trying to do the best that I can,” he revealed.
Joshua Little and Mark Adair also bowled well and maintained an economy below 4. Little leaked 14 runs in his spell and bagged a single wicket while Adair picked three wickets for just nine runs. Campher also applauded the bowling by his teammates and said that their economical bowling made it easier for him to bowl.Â
"Personally for me, it [four in four] gives us a lot of momentum.As a bowling unit when you have three guys going under six, it makes a big difference. As far as a bowling unit, we're really good I think. On another day, I can go for 10s and 12s, but the pressure that the guys built there managed to make me get the wickets. So, listened to Mark Adair, Josh , Simi , and Whitey [Ben White], we hunted as a unit and I was actually lucky to get the results,” he opined.Â
The chase was quite easy for Ireland and they completed the target in 15 overs for the loss of 3 wickets. Gareth Delany was the highest run-scorer with 44 runs from 29 balls. With this win, Ireland is now placed at second position in the points table with 2 points and a net run rate of +1.755.Â
