Cricket Classics - Part XXiX : 2007 Cricket World Cup: Sri Lanka vs South Africa : Malinga’s 4 in 4

Hello, fellow Sports Enthusiasts,

Cricket is not just a sport between two teams; it's a battle of skills, strategy, and capitalizing on clutch moments. Although the game has transformed over the decades, it has never failed to impress or leave us with unforgettable moments.

So, through this series, I will present some of the most iconic cricket matches that have made fans jump out of their seats. Let's remember those legendary games once a week. I am with another iconic match.

Made by leonardo.ai

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As I mentioned in a previous week, 2007 Cricket World Cup was magical in many ways. It was held in beautiful venues in the West Indies from 13 March to 28 April wth 16 teams.

Amidst all the memorable moments, we saw something that the world had never happened before. The young pace sensation from Sri Lanka, Lasith Malinga, made history by picking up four wickets in four consecutive deliveries. I still get goosebumps by simply remembering it. The legacy he started from there turned out to be one of the best ballers in this generation. So, let's see about that match and the performance.

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It was the 2nd match of the Super 8 stage, and the 26th match of the tournament, between Sri Lanka and South Africa. The date was March 28, 2007, at Providence Stadium, Guyana.

The South African team was led by Graeme Smith, with some legendary players like Jacques Kallis, Herschelle Gibbs, Mark Boucher, Shaun Pollock, Makhaya Ntini, etc. The great Mahela Jayawardene captained the legendary Sri Lankan team, with Sanath Jayasuriya, Kumar Sangakkara, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Chaminda Vaas, Murali, and the young sensation and our protagonist, Malinga. With this setup, you can understand the high altitude of the match.

South Africa won the toss and elected to field. Sri Lankan openers couldn't accelerate well as they used to against the quality bowling attack. Sanath and Tharanga tried to use the powerplay advantage, but couldn't do it, and wickets started to fall regularly. In fact, the top 5 wickets were gone for just 98 runs inside 25 overs.

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Anyway, Dilshan and Russel Arnold had a healthy partnership of 97 runs for the 6th wicket, both scoring half-centuries. Destroying all that effort the second collapse happened, as Sri Lanka 195/5 to 209/10. The last 5 wickets for just 14 runs. Charl Langeveldt did the biggest damage by taking 5 wickets for 38 runs in his 10 overs.

It was not a competitive total considering all the conditions. Vass balled out AB Devilliars in the first over, giving some hope to Sri Lanka. But Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis put in a 94-run partnership for the second wicket and built the innings. Smith went for 59 runs, and Kalis added another 65 runs with Gibbs.

Even though a few wickets fell quickly, SA was in total control, as Kaliis was there scoring 86 runs. The score was 206/5 when the miracle happened. Malinga took the 45th over and, in the first 4 balls, they scored 6 runs, and they just needed 4 runs with 5 wickets remaining.

The Magical performance

• 45.5 – Shaun Pollock; balled
• 45.6 – Andrew Hall; caught at cover
  Vaas balled the 46th over for 1 run
• 47.1 – Jacques Kallis; caught by the keeper
• 47.2 – Makhaya Ntini; balled

We have seen hattricks. But this guy took 4 in 4. In those days, the wickets in consecutive balls, even in two different overs, were valid for a hat-trick. From 206/5 to 207/9. Malinga and all the Sri Lanka were cheering with joy, and all the others were shocked by what they saw. He announced his entry into the Cricket world with that.

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Anyway, after taking 4 wickets, SA needed another 3 runs to score, and their no. 11 Charl Langeveldt, and no. 09 Robin Peterson was in the crease. They survived the last four balls of Malinga in the 48th over, stealing one run, and the next one against Vaas as a maiden. And in the 49th over, Pieterson managed to take a boundary by an edge, winning the match. South Africa won by 1 wicket.

Anyway, Malinga almost pulled off a victory from nowhere. Malinga had a unique slinging action, a deadliest yorker, and a slower ball, which he mastered with time. He is the first bowler to take five hat-tricks across all formats of international cricket, including two double hat-tricks. He took another 4 wickets in a row in 2019 against New Zealand.

Even though we lost this match, it was thrilling, and one of the greatest individual performances in the World Cup history. And in the end Sri Lanka managed to become the runner-up of the tournament as well.