Back-to-back hat-tricks for Henry Crocombe: English pacer achieves unique feat in County Championship

Back-to-back hat-tricks for Henry Crocombe: English pacer achieves unique feat in County Championship originally appeared on Cricket News. Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

Sussex pacer Henry Crocombe took hat-tricks in two consecutive first-class matches, a feat achieved only seven times ever.

Crocombe's second hat-trick against Essex triggered a batting collapse, helping bowl the visitors out cheaply after Sussex's 275.

The Sussex quick earns an England ODI squad call-up for the Sri Lanka series, capping off a breakthrough summer.

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Henry Crocombe leaves English cricket stunned with back-to-back County Championship hat-tricks

Henry Crocombe pulled off hat-tricks in two matches running, and to top it all off, he's set to be rewarded with an England call-up this Friday.

It all started in a rain-hit draw against Somerset at Hove last week, where Crocombe ripped through the visitors' first innings by taking three wickets in three balls.

Fast forward to Thursday, and he somehow did it again, this time against Essex, thereby putting Sussex in a commanding position in the process.

He trapped Simon Harmer lbw, followed that up by rapping Zaman Akhter on the toe with a searing yorker, and then knocked over Shane Snater's stumps to complete the set.

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Just one over earlier, Crocombe had already removed Charlie Allison lbw, and that dismissal kicked off a brutal collapse that saw Essex lose five wickets for just five runs. Sussex had put up 275 in their first innings, and Essex simply crumbled in reply, bowled out for 177 with Crocombe claiming the final wicket to seal his fifth of the innings.

WATCH: Crocombe completes his hat-trick against Essex

Henry Crocombe joins Wasim Akram in exclusive list: A feat achieved only seven times in first-class history

According to statistician Andrew Samson, hat-tricks in back-to-back first-class matches have now happened just seven times in the entire history of the game.

Whereas, only eight bowlers have taken two hat-tricks within the same match.

Crocombe's rise this summer has been hard to ignore. He was even briefly drafted into England's squad for the second Test against New Zealand back in June, after Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson were dropped for disciplinary reasons.

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Now, on Friday, he's set to be named in Brendon McCullum's ODI squad for the upcoming series against Sri Lanka. It is a clear sign that England see him as part of their plans in the future, not just a fringe option to plug gaps.

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