Duminy hat-trick blows quarter-final wide open

JP Duminy has become the first South African to take a World Cup hat-trick after ripping through Sri Lanka’s middle order to put the Proteas in the box seat in their SCG quarter-final.

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Duminy is just the eighth man overall to take a hat-trick in a World Cup match and but the second in the 2015 tournament after Steven Finn’s effort at the end of Australia’s innings in the tournament opener on February 14.

The Proteas’ part-time offspinner took the wickets of Angelo Mathews, Nuwan Kulesekara and Tharindu Kaushal in consecutive balls across two overs as Sri Lanka crashed to 9-127 when a sudden downpour halted play at the SCG.

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JP Duminy takes a hat-trick at the SCG // Getty Images

Duminy had Mathews caught at mid-wicket with the final ball of his eighth over before having Kulasekara caught behind off the first of his ninth.

Kulasekara walked after a voiciferous appeal from South Africa’s wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock with umpire Rod Tucker initially appearing reluctant to give it out. Replays showed snicko picking up the faintest of edges.

Kaushal, on his one-day international debut after being called up at the last minute to replace the injured Ragana Herath, was trapped plumb in front on the second balls of the ninth over.

With Imran Tahir taking the wicket of Thisara Perera in the intervening over, few had realised Duminy was even on the cusp of achieving the feat as the Sri Lankans crumbled feebly.

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JP Duminy mobbed by his teammates // Getty Images

Captain AB de Villiers said he and Duminy were the only Proteas who knew it was a hat-trick when the third wicket fell.

De Villiers had moved himself into silly point for the hat-trick ball after discussing the field placings with his bowler.

"Just the two of us knew it and I sort of spread the message (through the team) as soon as he got the wicket that it was a hat-trick," de Villiers said after play.

"And they all said 'no it's not!'

"They got pretty excited when they realised it was a hat-trick."

Duminy is now in an elite group alongside Lasith Malinga (twice), Chetan Sharma, Saqlain Mushtaq, Chaminda Vaas, Brett Lee, Kemar Roach and England’s Finn to have taken a hat-trick in a World Cup.

Malinga is the only player to record two World Cup hat-tricks, in 2007 and 2011, with his first effort, ironically against South Africa, the only instance of a double hat-trick (four wickets in four balls) in one-day international history.

Duminy picked up 3-29 from nine overs with his part-time offspinners, a bonus for South Africa who had gone into the match with just four frontline bowlers in their side.