Australia's fast bowler Pat Cummins etched his name into the annals of cricket history by securing his second consecutive T20 World Cup hat-trick.
Cummins accomplished this extraordinary feat during a match against Afghanistan in St Vincent, following his earlier hat-trick against Bangladesh. Cummins, the right-arm pacer, first struck with a hat-trick spread across two overs against Bangladesh on Thursday.
He continued his sublime form, claiming another hat-trick late Saturday by dismissing Rashid Khan, Karim Janat, and Gulbadin Naib with three consecutive deliveries. This makes him the seventh player ever to take a hat-trick in the T20 World Cup.
Despite Cummins' heroics, Australia suffered a 21-run defeat against Afghanistan. This marked Afghanistan's first victory over Australia in any format, adding another layer of significance to the match.
According to ICC data, Cummins’ achievement is just the eighth instance of a bowler taking a hat-trick at the Men's T20 World Cup and the first time any player has accomplished the feat multiple times.
Pat Cummins joins an elite group of bowlers who have taken hat-tricks in T20 World Cups, including Brett Lee (2007), Curtis Campher (2021), Wanindu Hasaranga (2021), Kagiso Rabada (2021), Karthik Meiyappan (2022), and Josh Little (2022). Cummins is also the second Australian to achieve a T20 World Cup hat-trick, following in the footsteps of Brett Lee.
Reflecting on his performance, Cummins remarked, "I remembered that one. It's pleasant that I have played 100-odd games for Australia and now I have got two (hat-tricks) in a row."
