Thailand’s Thipatcha Putthawong achieves rare feat of taking four-in-four

New Delhi [India], July 15 (ANI): Thailand’s Thipatcha Putthawong has made her way to the history books as she became the seventh cricketer to pick four wickets in four balls in a T20I game on Friday.

Putthawong, who had claimed the sixth-best figures in a women’s ODI in April this year by taking an incredible 6/6 against Zimbabwe, found a place in the record books again.
The left-arm spinner took 5/8 in the 2nd T20I against the Netherlands in Utrecht, including four in four successive deliveries in the 18th over of the game.

The Thailand left-arm spinner sent Phebe Molkenboer, Mikkie Zwilling, Hannah Landheer and Caroline de Lange back to the dugout in the 18th over. While the most thing in this rare feat is that all four batters were bowled.

She became the third women’s cricketer to take four wickets in four balls after Germany’s Anuradha Doddaballapur, who claimed the feat against Austria in 2020, and Shameela Mosweu of Botswana, who recorded the feat against Mozambique in 2021.

Notably, Rwanda’s Henriette Ishimwe had picked up four wickets in four balls against Zimbabwe earlier this year in the inaugural ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa.

Rashid Khan, Lasith Malinga, Curtis Campher and Jason Holder are the men’s cricketers to achieve a similar feat in T20Is.

The 19-year-old also made her way into the list as she continues to dazzle everyone with her performances.

She has been inflicting pain on batters with her quicker left-arm orthodox. Putthawong claimed 11 wickets and was economic as well. She was the leading wicket-taker and claimed her wickets at an average of just 1.54, conceding just 17 runs in 15.3 overs.

Three of her spells ended with economy rates of under one, with figures of 1/9 against Indonesia somehow an outlier. Putthawong’s 4/3 against the Philippines was her best performance, closely joined by 3/3 and 3/2 against Malaysia and Myanmar respectively.