Chinese leg spinner Zhong Wenyi takes four wickets in four balls in 2014 Asian Games

Chinese leg spinner Zhong Wenyi took four wickets in four balls in 2014 Asian Games

The ongoing Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea witnessed a rare feat when Chinese leg-spinner Zhong Wenyi took four wickets in four balls, over a space of two overs.

Cricket in 2014 Asian Games are being played in T20 format, but the matches are not recognised by ICC, and thus don’t have T20I status.

In the last group match at Yeonhui Cricket Ground in Incheon on September 29, China faced hosts Korea in a rain-curtailed match, reduced to 10 overs a side.

Batting first, Korea had scored 65 at the loss of one wicket when Zhong Wenyi was introduced into the attack.

On the last delivery of the 8^th over, Wenyi got Korean batsman Sunghoon Cho to play a drive which was caught well by the fielder Gaofeng Hu.

Coming on to bowl the last over of the innings, Wenyi then let one rip past the right-hander Daesik Sung, who had come down the wicket and missed the ball, only to be stumped by Chinese wicket-keeper Zhao Gaoseng.

On his next delivery, Wenyi gave the ball a lot of revs, resulting in big spin, and the batsman Hyobum An was stumped by the keeper. Wenyi had completed a hat-trick now, with a wicket off the last delivery off his last over. It was also the first hat-trick in Asian Games.

On the third ball of the over, Wenyi bowled a back of a length delivery, which was pulled by batsman Sangwook Lee, but he only managed to sky it in the air. Wenyi settled easily under it and completed the catch to take 4 wickets in 4 balls.

However, Wenyi’s late efforts were not enough to procure a win for China as they lost the match by 6 runs.

Zhong Wenyi has just taken four wickets in four balls for China vs Korea. Stopped the total looking impregnable.

— Russell Degnan (@idlesummers) September 29, 2014

The Crcinfo commentary called it a ball late, but China's Zhong Wenyi took a hat-trick and then made it four in four.

— Andrew Nixon (@andrewnixon79) September 29, 2014

Only Sri Lanka’s Lasith Malinga has taken 4 wickets in 4 balls in international cricket, when he completed the feat stretched over 2 overs against South Africa in 2007 World Cup in Guyana.

In first class cricket, Kevan James of Hampshire achieved the same against India in a county match in 1996.