Cricketers who claimed a hat-trick on their Test debut

In the game of cricket that is slightly biased towards the batsmen, hat-tricks are extremely rare. There have been only a handful of bowlers who have accomplished this rare feat of dismissing three batsmen off three successive deliveries. In the history of the gentleman’s game, we have been a witness to several interesting variations of the hat trick but taking a hat trick on international debut remains one of the crowning glories that only a few cricketers have managed to achieve. Nothing can be a better way of announcing your arrival in the cricketing fraternity and developing fear in the mind of batsmen.

Here is an exclusive list of 3 cricketers with hat tricks on their international Test debut

3. Maurice Allom

English right-arm medium pacer Maurice James Carrick Allom holds the record of picking up a hat-trick on Test Debut. In the first Test innings against New Zealand at Lancaster Park, Christchurch in 1929-30, Maurice thrashed New Zealand’s middle-order by dismissing Tom Lowry (LBW), Ken James (caught behind) and Ted Badcock (bowled). He also became the first bowler to take 4 wickets off just 5 balls. Later Chris Old and Wasim Akram, too, achieved this feat in Tests while Lasith Malinga did this in ODIs. Despite a dream debut spell, Allom couldn’t make it big as he played just 5 Test matches.

2. Peter Petherick

Peter Petherick announced his arrival in the cricketing fraternity with a bang as he took three wickets off three consecutive balls in his debut Test match against Pakistan at Lahore in 1976. Peter dismissed three of Pakistan’s great cricketers namely Javed Miandad (caught at square-leg), Wasim Raja (caught and bowled) and Inthikhab Alam (caught). Incidentally, he became the first New Zealand player to record a Test Hat trick and remains the only one to do so besides James Franklin. However, after shining in his first match, Petherick succumbed to pressure as he took only 16 wickets in his 6 Test matches and slowly fizzled away from the memory of fans.

1. Damien Fleming

Damien Fleming, the pacer who was a regular feature of Australia’s playing XI in Tests and was famous for his out-swingers, had a fantastic international debut as he picked up a hat-trick. In his first Test against Pakistan at Rawalpindi in 1994, Damien took a hat-trick by dismissing Aamer Malik (caught), Inzamam-ul-Haq (LBW) and Salim Malik (caught). Thus Fleming became the third player to get to a hat-trick on Test debut. Fleming played for Victoria in the domestic circuit and represented Australia in 20 Tests and 88 ODIs garnering 75 and 134 wickets respectively at an economy of 2.82 and 4.41.