[WATCH] Karthik Meiyappan Picks Up The 1st Hat-trick Of T20 World Cup 2022

The young leg spinner from United Arab Emirates Karthik Meiyappan became the first bowler to grab a hat-trick in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2022. The young cricketer achieved a feat against Sri Lanka in Group A qualifying round match played at Kardinia Park, Geelong on Tuesday, October 18.

Sri Lanka were going strong with the scoreboard reading 117.2. Karthik Meiyappan came into the attack and produced a magical spell, picking up three wickets in succession to derail their innings.

The leg spinner dismissed Bhanuka Rajapaksa caught by Kashif Daud, and Charith Asalanaka caught by Aravind. He then knocked over Sri Lankan captain Dasun Shanaka going through the gate to put breaks on Lankan batting.

Watch the clip here:

Hat-trick! UAE's Karthik Meiyappan goes through the Sri Lankan middle order.

Which #ILT20 team do you see him best suited for?

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— International League T20 (@ILT20Official) October 18, 2022

Also Read: 3 Concerns For India After Warm-Up Game Against Australia

It was a remarkable performance by Karthik Meiyappan, finishing with figures of 3 for 19 in four overs. His spell helped the UAE make a comeback into the match after an impressive start from Sri Lanka.

Zahoor Khan was also exceptional in the final over, giving away just three runs and grabbing two wickets. Karthik Meiyappan looked impressive with his line and lengths not allowing Lankan batters to score runs on a tough batting pitch.

Sri Lanka bounce back after an early upset 

Riding on an all-rounded bowling effort, the UAE managed to restrict the Asian champions to just 152/8. Pathum Nissanka topped the scoring chart with 74 runs with the help of six boundaries and two sixes. Dhananjay de Silva was the second-highest run-scorer with 33 runs off 21 balls.

In response, the UAE batters failed to back up the good efforts of the bowlers. They folded out for just 73 runs in just 17.1 overs. Dusmantha Chameera and Wanindu Hasaranga picked up three wickets each, while Maheesh Theeksana returned with two wickets.

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