Think we're peaking at the right time, feels Andy Balbirnie

Fast bowler Curtis Campher took four wickets in four balls to help Ireland thrash Netherlands by seven wickets in a first-round match of the T20 World Cup on Monday. Campher took a hat-trick and then struck again to return figures of 4-26 as Netherlands were dismissed for 106 in the Group A opener in Abu Dhabi. 

Ireland achieved their target with 4.5 overs to spare as Campher hit the winning runs for his team's first win over the Netherlands in a World Cup. The performance has completely satisfied Ireland skipper Andy Balbirnie as he feels that his side is peaking at the right time.

"(We wanted) just to attack the stumps as much as possible and, obviously, with Curtis' four-wicket over he did exactly that," skipper Andy Balbirnie said after the win. 

"We've had a slow but good build-up, I think we're peaking at the right time."

Campher became only the third bowler in T20 International history to claim four wickets in four balls after Afghanistan's Rashid Khan and Lasith Malinga of Sri Lanka in 2019. The South Africa-born pacer sent back Colin Ackermann (11), Ryan ten Doeschate (0), and Scott Edwards (0) for a hat-trick and then bowled Roelof van der Merwe (0) in a sensational over.

"To be honest I didn't feel the best out there coming back from injury, tried to bang the wicket down and keep hitting the hard length, the first over didn't go to plan but the skipper had the faith in me and it worked out well. The bowling department has been working hard; on the yorkers and changeups," Campher added.