Wicket, Wicket, Wicket – Full list of World Cup hat-tricks

The 50-over World Cup is still the most important event in the cricket calendar. Thus sensational feats get more amplified when they are performed in the quadrennial event. While a hat-trick, three wickets in three consecutive deliveries, is rare, a World Cup hat-trick is rarer. Out of 49 total ODI hat-tricks, only 11 have come in cricket’s biggest event. Here’s the complete list.

1. Chetan Sharma (India) – 1987

At Nagpur, Chetan Sharma became the first bowler to register a hat-trick in the World Cup. Against New Zealand, the paceman clean bowled three batsmen in succession. His victims were Ken Rutherford, Ian Smith and Ewen Chatfield. This was India’s final group game in the 1987 World Cup.

2. Saqlain Mushtaq (Pakistan) – 1999

Pakistan batted first at The Oval against Zimbabwe and set them a target of 272. At 123/7, the African team was struggling. Off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq stepped up and put them out of their misery in just three balls. His first two dismissals were stumped and then he trapped Pommie Mbangwa LBW to wrap up the game.

3. Chaminda Vaas (Sri Lanka) – 2003

At Pietermaritzburg, Sri Lanka’s Chaminda Vaas shocked Bangladesh in the first over of the match itself. The left-arm pacer took three wickets on the first three balls of the match to reduce the Bangla side to 0/3 in 0.3 overs. Vaas finished the opening over with another wicket.

4. Brett Lee (Australia) – 2003

Lee’s fiery pace at the Kingsmead, Durban proved too hot to handle for the Kenyan batsmen. Lee struck Kennedy Otieno on his elbow and the ball rolled back on the stumps. After sending back Brijal Patel on the following ball, the Australian fast bowler delivered a 155.5 kmph yorker to complete a spectacular hat-trick.

5. Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka) – 2007

Producing one of the most sensational bowling spells, slingy Sri Lankan bowler snared four wickets in four balls against South Africa at Georgetown. South Africa was only four runs away from the win when Malinga started blasting through them. The bowler almost clinched a victory with another searing yorker but Robin Peterson’s inside edge helped the African team seal a memorable chase.

6. Kemar Roach (West Indies) – 2011

At Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium, Delhi, West Indies posted a mountain of 330 runs against the Netherlands. The Associate nation fell away in the chase and was tottering at 115/7 in 31 overs. Kemar Roach returned and cleaned the tail in just three balls. The fast bowler finished the hat-trick by uprooting Berend Westdijk’s middle stump to complete the 215-run win.

7. Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka) – 2011

On the very next day of Kemar Roach’s hat-trick, Malinga registered his second hat-trick of the World Cup. Against Kenya at Colombo, the Sri Lankan sling bowler demonstrated his mastery over the yorker. He delivered three perfect yorkers, in the end, to bring down Kenya from 137/6 to 137/9. The first toe-crusher resulted in an LBW while the other two took down stumps.

8. Steven Finn (England) – 2015

The tall pace bowler became the first Englishman to record a hat-trick in the World Cup. He achieved this feat against hosts Australia at Melbourne on the opening day of the tournament. Australia was flying at 342/7 in 49.3 overs and tried to make most of the last over. Three consecutive catches on the last three balls saw Finn earning a hat-trick.

9. JP Duminy (South Africa) – 2015

The most surprising name in the list of bowlers taking a World Cup hat-trick is South Africa’s ‘all-rounder’ JP Duminy. The off-spinner broke the back of Sri Lankan middle-order in the quarter-final at Sydney. At 114/5, he first sent back Angelo Mathews. Duminy then had Nuwan Kulasekara caught behind on the first ball of his next over. The off-spinner completed the hat-trick by getting Tharindu Kaushal LBW.

10. Mohammed Shami (India) – 2019

Tasked to defend 16 runs from the last over, Mohammed Shami claimed a hat-trick against Afghanistan at The Rose Bowl, Southampton. The Indian pacer first sent back Mohammad Nabi who was threatening to take the game away. Shami then castled Aftab Alam and Mujeeb Ur Rehman on successive deliveries to complete the hat-trick. The 28-year old became the second Indian bowler to take three wickets in three balls at the World Cup.

11. Trent Boult (New Zealand) – 2019

This was another last over hat-trick. Australia were 243/6 after Trent Boult had delivered first two balls of the final over. Usman Khawaja was the first victim as he exposed his leg stump to a full ball. Boult sent back Mitchell Starc with a searing yorker. Then trapped Jason Behrendorff in front of the stumps to complete the hat-trick. He became the first New Zealand bowler to take a hat-trick in a World Cup.