UAE’s sixteen-year-old Harshit creates history with a double hat-trick of six wickets in six balls during his eight-wicket spell

By K.R. Nayar

While two hat-tricks were recorded in the just concluded Abu Dhabi T10, a sixteen-year-old boy from the UAE produced a double hat-trick in a single over. Many people dream of wanting to bowl such a spell, but Harshit Seth actually produced this feat that could well be considered as part of the 'Believe it or Not' series. He not only bagged a double hat-trick but also went on to bag eight wickets giving away just four runs in a match between Dubai Starlets and a visiting Pakistan team in the Karwan Under-19 Global League T20 event at the Ajman Oval.

Harshit Seth

Harshit produced ‘the perfect over’ a week before New Zealand’s Ajaz Patel recorded the perfect spell of taking all ten wickets in the Mumbai Test match. The only recorded spell of six wickets in six balls was on January 21, 2017, by Australian Aled Carey while playing for Golden Point Cricket Club against East Ballarat Club in the Ballarat Cricket Competition in Australia.  

Harshit Seth in action

Left-arm orthodox spinner Harshit is at the UAE Under-19 camp hoping to play in the Under-19 World Cup.  While Carey’s six wickets were made up of two catches, a leg before, and three clean bowled, Harshit’s six wickets included one caught, two bowled, and three batsmen trapped leg before.

Harshit Seth in DCC Starlets's jersey 

“I had produced three hat-tricks in domestic cricket before, but this double hat-trick in one over is special. I keep working hard, sharpening my skills. I was guided by coaches at the Sharjah Academy and now I am training at the ICC Academy,” said Harshit, who plays for the Emirates Cricket Board Blues team in the Dubai Super League and is part of the Dubai team in the Emirates D10 tournament.

“I began playing cricket from the age of nine. Initially, I was a pacer, but my coaches suggested I turn a left-arm spinner. I work hard on all the techniques,” says Harshit, who is a Grade 11 student of the Gems Modern Academy, Dubai, and has represented the UAE Under-16 team and captained the Under-16 Sharjah Cricket Council team.

Aled Carey -  who bagged six off six deliveries in 2017 

If Carey gave away 20 runs in his nine overs during his six-wicket spell, Harshit’s spell was even more impressive. He bowled four overs, two maidens, and he went on to bag two more wickets, thus bagging a total of eight wickets giving away just four runs. “My spell will be an inspiration for everyone to keep bowling well all the time. This is something no one has done here and I am happy to have done it in an official match and that too against a visiting Pakistan team,” remarked the youngster. This performance by Harshit in the Karwan Global T20 League was a tournament approved and organised by the Ajman Cricket Council.

Harshit on a song  

“I have also performed well in India during a tournament. On one of the tours there, I took five wickets for four runs in six overs,” said Harshit, who was born in Delhi, India, but raised in the UAE. “My aim is to play for the UAE's senior team one day and I will continue to work hard and try to produce many more such spells,” revealed the passionate youngster bubbling with confidence.