Three bowlers who have picked a hat-trick in both ODI and T20 cricket
Are there any bowlers who have picked a hat-trick in both ODI and T20 Cricket?
We all know how difficult it is to take a hat-trick in a cricket match. And to produce a hat-trick in both the formats is no ordinary feat. Lasith Malinga is one bowler you would assume to be on the list, but who are the other two?
Australian fast bowler Brett Lee was actually the first bowler to have picked a hat-trick in T20 internationals. For those of you who don’t know he also has a hat-trick to his name in one-day internationals. Interestingly, Sri Lankan all-rounder Thisara Perera also holds the record of taking a hat-trick in both one-day international and T-20 matches.
Here’s taking a detailed look at the three bowlers who have picked a hat-trick in both one-day and T20 international:
#1. Lasith Malinga
The Sri Lankan fast bowler is a master when it comes to taking hat tricks. Lasith Malinga has taken 5 hat-tricks in International cricket so far- three in ODIs and two in T20s.
He recently picked a hat-trick in a T-20 game against New Zealand. He picked the wickets of Colin Munro, Hamish Rutherford, Colin de Grandhomme, and Ross Taylor in four successive deliveries. He achieved the same feat in the 50-over 2007 World Cup against South Africa, picking the wickets of Shaun Pollock, Andrew Hall, Jacques Kallis, and Makhaya Ntini.
The other three hat-tricks came against Bangladesh in a T-20 game in 2016, and against Kenya and Australia in 2011 in 50-over games.
#2. Brett Lee
Australian fast bowler, Brett Lee was one of the fearsome bowlers you would ever see in world cricket. Lee represented Australia in 221 one-day internationals, 76 test matches, and 25 T-20 internationals.
Bowling at a speed of over 150 Kmph, Lee could devastate any batting lineup at his prime. Watching him bowl was one of the most fascinating sights in world cricket.
Brett Lee holds the record for picking a hat-trick in both one-day and T-20 matches.
He picked his first hat-trick in the 2003 ICC World Cup against Kenya. Interestingly, his second hat-trick too came in an ICC event. Playing against Bangladesh in the 2007 T20 World Cup, Lee accounted for the wickets of Shakib Al-Hasan, Mashrafe Mortaza and Alok Kapali in three consecutive deliveries. Australia won that game by 9 wickets.
#3. Thisara Perera
You would not have expected this one coming for sure. The Sri Lankan all-rounder is the third bowler to have picked a hat-trick in both T20 and ODIs.
A mainstay in Sri Lanka’s limited over’s side Thisara Perera has represented Sri Lanka in 164 one-day internationals. Perera is the second Sri Lankan cricketer to have taken a hat-trick in both ODI and T20s.
His ODI hat-trick came against Pakistan in 2012. Batting first, Sri Lanka posted 243 runs in 50 overs. In pursuit of the total, Pakistan was once cruising into the chase with Azhar Ali and Misbah Ul-Haq guiding Pakistan to 166 in 37 overs.
However, Parera’s three wickets in three consecutive deliveries just changed the game on its head as Pakistan was eventually folded for 190 runs in 45 overs. Perera took the wickets of Younis Khan, Shahid Afridi, and Sarfaraz Khan in three consecutive deliveries.
His second hat-trick came against India in 2016, this time in a T-20 game. Bowling the final over of India’s innings, Perera had given 26 runs without any wicket in his last two overs. In the first three deliveries, the Sri Lankan all-rounder went for runs, however, fetch three wickets in his next deliveries, becoming the first Sri Lankan bowler to take a hat-trick in T20 format at that time. He took the wickets of Suresh Raina, Hardik Pandya, and Yuvraj Singh in three successive deliveries.
