Former South Africa fast bowler Kyle Abbott took a hat-trick as Hampshire completed a convincing 114-run victory over Worcestershire at New Road this week.
Abbott ended a four-year international career in early 2017 by signing a Kolpak contract in England.
Having opened the bowling alongside ex-Proteas teammate Dale Steyn, Abbott completed fine figures of 6-39 in the fourth innings.
Top-order batsman Joe Clarke and lower-order hopefuls Josh Tongue and Ed Barnard were the unfortunate recipients of the feat, removed caught, bowled and lbw, respectively.
The Worcestershire XI was captained by batsman Brett D’Oliveira, who plays premier competition for St Augustine Cricket Club during the South African summer, while Proteas all-rounder Wayne Parnell was also in the side.
Abbott recently admitted to struggling for inspiration on the County Championship circuit, but his telling performance in Hampshire’s emphatic victory should offer the right-arm seamer renewed motivation.
‘It is the first hat-trick of my professional career, so I was pretty stoked up by it. It was quite surreal really, three different dismissals, which kind of sums up the pitch,’ he said.
‘Every ball I felt I was going to get a nick through to the wicketkeeper or slips, or bowl someone, or have an lbw.’
Abbott’s hat-trick was the first for Hampshire since seamer Billy Taylor’s in 2006.
Photo: David Kissman/Action Plus via Getty Images
