Leg-spinner Karthik Meiyappan took the tournament’s first hat-trick in a brilliant spell of bowling for the United Arab Emirates, before finishing with figures of 3-19 in his four overs.
Meiyappan is the fifth player in history to take a hat-trick in the T20 World Cup. While the spinner garnered much praise after the match, it was UAE teammate Siddiqui’s six that really turned heads.
In the same over when Sri Lanka’s star pacer Dushmantha Chameera was ruled out of the field due to injury, Siddiqui smashed a massive six on the fast bowler clearing the top of the grandstand at Kardinia Park. The extraordinary shot covered a distance of 109 metres, making it the longest shot ever shot at a World Cup.
The incredible visuals left commentators and fans in shock, with some calling it the “biggest” six they’ve ever seen.
Sri Lanka’s 79-run victory had to pay a heavy price due to Chameera’s injury, when it was broken by the UAE’s batting attack. Chameera missed out on her Asia Cup win last month due to injury but returned to top shape on Tuesday when she scalped three wickets to leave UAE 3-19.
But when he returned to the attack in the 17th over, Junaid threw his second ball on the roof of the grandstand. Then four balls later, Chameera pulled into her delivery leg and was immediately off the field. Vanindu Hararanga also took three wickets for Sri Lanka.
Chameera is now in a cloud of injury for Sri Lanka’s next group stage match against the Netherlands.
Sri Lankan captain Dasan Shanaka said after the match, “Hopefully I think everything will be fine.”
The Dutch are leading in Group A with two wins, while Sri Lanka and Namibia have one each.
The top two teams in the group go through Super 12 games and Namibia are in the hunt after Sunday’s shock win over Sri Lanka.
Earlier, Meiyappan had taken the first hat-trick by a UAE player in a T20 International and only his fifth hat-trick in a T20 World Cup – the first hat-trick by Australia’s Brett Lee in 2007.
He scored 2-117 runs for Sri Lanka in the 15th over.
First he caught Bhanuka Rajapaksa deep for five and then Charit Aslanka was caught behind for a golden duck.
While bowling to Sri Lankan captain Dasun Shanaka between the bat and the pad, Meiyappan’s hat-trick was a sight to behold.
“Taking a hat-trick in a World Cup game, especially against a Test playing country in Sri Lanka, is a really great feeling and it hasn’t sunk in yet,” Meiyappan said after the innings.
Meiyappan took 3-19 wickets in four overs to take Sri Lanka to 8-152 in 20 overs.
Opener Pathum Nisanka scored 74 off 60 balls, including six fours and two sixes, and was adjudged man of the match.
A superb diving catch from Basil Hameed saw Nissenka getting out with a ball left in the innings off Zahoor Khan.
UAE are 0-2 and are out of the race for a place in the Super 12 stage. They will conclude their tournament against Namibia on Thursday.