Ireland beat Netherlands by 7 wickets

ABU DHABI: Curtis Campher claimed four wickets off four consecutive deliveries to inspire Ireland to a seven wickets victory against the Netherlands in a first-round match of the T20 World Cup here on Monday.

Campher became only the third bowler to achieve this feat this historic feat in white-ball cricket as he destroyed the Netherlands' middle-order and they were bowled for 106 in 20 overs in a Group A match of the T20 World Cup at the Shaikh Zayed Cricket Stadium here on Monday.

In response, Ireland lost Kev'n O'Brien (9 off 10) and Andy Balbirnie (8 of 6) in the powerplay, but a destructive partnership between veteran opener Paul Stirling (30 not out) and young all-rounder Gareth Delany (44 off 29 balls) took Ireland to 107/3 in 15.1 overs to start their campaign in style.

Campher, who also hit the winning single, claimed the wickets of Colin Ackermann (11), Ryan ten Doeschate (0), Scott Edwards (0), and Roelof van der Merwe off consecutive balls in his second and innings' 10th over, joining the elite club that includes Sri Lanka's Lasith Malinga, who achieved this feat twice -- once against South Africa in 2007 ODI World Cup and then against New Zealand in T20I in 2019, and Rashid Khan of Afghanistan, who claimed four in four balls against Ireland in a T20I in 2019. Campher thus became the third bowler to achieve this feat.

Brief scores: The Netherlands 106 all out in 20 overs (Max O'Dowd 51, Pieter Seelaar 21. Curtis Campher 4/26, Mark Adair 3/9) lost to Ireland 107/3 in 15.1 overs (Paul Stirling 30*, Gareth Delany 44. Fred Klaassen 1/18). IANS

Ireland vs Netherlands T20 Scorecard:

Netherlands Batting:

Ireland Bowling:

Ireland Batting:

Netherlands Bowling:

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