Sri Lanka’s Malinga creates history downing four wickets in four balls

GEORGETOWN, Guyana, March 29, 2007 (AFP) - Sri Lanka fast bowler Lasith Malinga took four wickets in four balls in the World Cup Super Eight match against South Africa here on Wednesday to become the first man to achieve the feat in the history of international cricket. Malinga dismissed Shaun Pollock, Andrew Hall and then Jacques Kallis to ensure a hat-trick and then got rid of Makhaya Ntini before South Africa squeezed home with a one-wicket win.

The 23-year-old Malinga became the fifth man in the history of the World Cup to take a hat-trick.

"I am happy to take those wickets but we have lost," said Malinga, the bleach-blond bowler with the distinctive slingy action.

"I felt good and I thought we might pinch it. But 209 was not enough to defend."

World Cup hat-tricks (player, team, opponents, venue, date, wickets):

Chetan Sharma India v New Zealand Nagpur 31/10/1987
K Rutherford bowled; I Smith bowled; E Chatfield bowled

Saqlain Mushtaq Pakistan v Zimbabwe The Oval 11/06/1999
H Olonga st Moin Khan; A Huckle st Moin Khan; M Mbangwa lbw

Chaminda Vaas Sri Lanka v Bangladesh Pietermaritzburg 14/02/2003
H Sarkar bowled; M Ashraful caught & bowled; E Haque c Jayawardene

Brett Lee Australia v Kenya Durban 15/03/