Hat trick is a very difficult feat to achieve in the limited overs cricket from other forms of cricket over the years in cricket which has been more batsman friendly from many perspectives. While a hat trick on the first over of a match is definitely not easy at all and if a bowler has picked up another wicket in the over it means he is a specialist bowler. Chaminda Vass has been the only bowler so far in the history of cricket who has taken 4 wickets in the first over of the match during the 2003 world cup game.
1-0-5-4, this was the Vass Hat trick bowler including the wicket on the fifth ball of the over too. It was also the first time in the history of cricket when the No 6 batsman has arrived in the first over of the match. Hattrick is somewhere possible milestone, a bowler would achieve in his cricket career to some extent but what Chaminda Vass has did in the first over of cricket was rarest outcomes ever in the world existence of cricket by any margin or imagination of human minds – a bowler of any calibre would dream to have such feat in his career.
It was Group B match, Bangladesh had already lost its first match to Canada by 60 (another upset in the group stage round) where Sri Lanka had defeated New Zealand by 47 in his first game to start their World Cup Campaign. In the group stage round, every team has to play at least 6 games and to qualify for the super six they have to win at least 4 games. The chances of Bangladesh to qualify had been very less after the defeat against Canada and with the complete one-sided victory to Sri Lanka, Bangladesh had been out of the race to super six almost.
Sri Lanka captain Sanath Jayasuriya has won the toss and decided to bowl first in the 10th match of the most thrilling tournament ever. Vass was ready to bowl the first over of the match as usual and Bangladesh team didn't expect that level of class bowling from the left-arm fast bowler. The opener Sarkar was looking to smash the ball over the cover region area but the ball swung in towards the batsman and bamboozled him completely before knocked off his stumps. Then walked in Mohammad Ashraful (the most talented batsman in that team of that era), who completely missed the slower ball and was caught and bowled to Vass on the second ball of the over.
Ehsanul Haque, came into the crease to face the Hattrick delivery which he completely and caught behind at slip position by Mahela Jayawardene on the outswinger bowled by Chaminda Vass to complete his Hat Trick in the first over of the match. Sanwar Hossain was the fourth victim of Chaminda Vass who after hitting the boundary on the fourth ball (next ball was wide), was caught in the front of wickets on the good length delivery bowler left-arm fast bowler. The umpire had no doubts in giving out before he raised his finger to indicate the loss of another wicket of Bangladesh.
With dream start, Chaminda Vass has never stop and picked up two more wickets in the match which included the fifth wicket of Al Sahariar in the fifth over of the match to restricted the Bangladesh at 25/5 and last wicket of Mashrafe Mortaza who was looking dangerous of 28 runs off 23 balls to end the Bangladesh innings at 124 runs. Chaminda Vass's spell in the match was 9.1-2– 25-6. Alok Kapali and Kaled Mashud put up some fight with lower order batsmen to take the scoreboard to some respectable total. In response, Sri Lanka chased down the target of 125 with 10 wickets in hand in 21.1 overs. Chaminda Vass for his lethal bowling spell was awarded with Man of the match.
Here is that Chaminda Vass Hattrick against Bangladesh during the world cup game
