[Watch] Mumbai Indians pacer Issy Wong becomes first-ever bowler to pick up a hat-trick in WPL history
Mumbai Indians (MI) player Issy Wong became the first bowler to pick up a hat-trick in Women's Premier League (WPL) history. In the 13th over of the innings of UP Warriorz, Wong picked up the wickets of Kiran Navgire, Simran Shaikh, and Sophie Ecclestone in consecutive deliveries to achieve the memorable feat.
After being asked to bat first, MI managed to reach a formidable score of 182/4 in the eliminator match of WPL 2023. Nat Sciver-Brunt (72*) played a phenomenal knock in the pressure contest.
In the chase, Issy Wong dismissed Alyssa Healy in the third over to deliver a massive blow to the UP side. She then came back in the 13th over and picked up a hat-trick to seemingly pull the curtains on UP Warriorz's chances in the match.
You can watch the hat-trick dismissals below:
"I was just trying to hit the stumps" - Issy Wong on her gameplan before picking up a hat-trick
Speaking after the conclusion of the match, Issy Wong reflected on her memorable hat trick and revealed that she was trying to bowl straight, aiming to hit the stumps.
She opened up about her friendship with Sophie Ecclestone, her third victim on the hat-trick ball, which made it exciting. Wong said:
"I was just trying to hit the stumps. Soph (Ecclestone) got the better of me last time so I was just trying to go in the slot. She's a good friend and a quality cricketer. It's a good challenge to play against guys you train and it gets exciting as well."
"The job's not done. You don't enter competitions to win finals. You enter competitions to win trophies and that's what we're looking to do as a group."
Shedding light on the journey to reaching the finals, Issy Wong added:
"It's all been a bit surreal. A whirlwind of a couple of weeks. I've put in some hard yards in the gym and back home. To come out here and for it to pay off, feels amazing."
"Under lights here we know it swung all tournament. We had swing going a lot later into the innngs. We knew if we look after the ball and get the seam upright, we've got a chance to do something."
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