In an extraordinary display of bowling, Australia’s Pat Cummins made cricket history by becoming the first player to take back-to-back hat-tricks in T20 Internationals. The feat occurred during Australia’s T20 World Cup 2024 Super 8 match against Afghanistan.
Cummins, who had already claimed his maiden T20I hat-trick against Bangladesh in the previous game, continued his spectacular form by dismantling Afghanistan’s lower order. His historic spell began by dismissing Rashid Khan on the last delivery of the 18th over, followed by the wickets of Karim Janat and Gulbadin Naib on the first two balls of the 20th over.
Australia’s captain for the match, Mitchell Marsh, opted to field first. Afghanistan started strong with an opening partnership of 118 runs between Rahmanullah Gurbaz (60 off 49 balls) and Ibrahim Zadran (51 off 48 balls). Despite the solid foundation, Cummins and his fellow bowlers restricted Afghanistan to 148/6 in their allotted 20 overs.
Cummins’ Reaction
Reflecting on his historic achievement, Cummins said, “Crazy. Played 100-odd games for Australia, and now got two [hat-tricks] in a row. I thought they batted well, but we restricted the boundaries effectively. They ran well, but overall, it was a decent bowling effort despite not being the tidiest in the field. I’m happy with the total.”
Cummins joins the elite list
Cummins joined an elite group of bowlers who have taken two T20I hat-tricks, including Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka), Tim Southee (New Zealand), Mark Pavlovic (Serbia), and Waseem Abbas (Malta). His performance has further cemented his status as one of the premier bowlers in international cricket.
Australia’s response with the bat will be keenly watched as they aim to solidify their position in the Super 8 standings. Cummins’ remarkable achievement has undoubtedly set the tone for the rest of the tournament.
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