The Super Eight fixture of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2007, between Sri Lanka and South Africa, turned out to be one of the most thrilling games of the tournament. At 206/5 in the 45th over, with a well-set Jacques Kallis at the crease, South Africa were cruising towards a 210-run target. What followed next was one of the most iconic performances in the history of the Cricket World Cup.
Lasith Malinga’s four wickets in four balls against South Africa in 2007 is the other candidate in today’s @bira91 @cricketworldcup Greatest Moments vote! pic.twitter.com/uMXfZFIRY3— ICC (@ICC) March 9, 2019
Lasith Malinga, bowling his final spell, produced four wickets in four balls – the only such instance in international cricket then. He first dismissed Shaun Pollock and Andrew Hall with the last two balls of the 45th over, before inducing an outside edge off Kallis’ bat on the first ball of his next to complete a hat-trick.
With South Africa still needing three runs to win, Malinga then produced his famed toe-crusher to dismiss Makhaya Ntini. Despite his heroic effort, however, South Africa managed to scrape through, with Robin Peterson and Charl Langeveldt surviving a nervy passage of play and seeing South Africa to a thrilling one-wicket win.
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