T20 World Cup: T20 cricket is a batting-dominant game and the margin for error is very small in this format. But there are some bowlers who have mastered the art of bowling in pressure situations. In the bowling spell of four overs, a bowler always tries to take more and more wickets while giving fewer runs. But taking a hat trick is still a dream for many bowlers.
On top of that, taking a hat trick in a World Cup game is one of the rarest feats in the game of cricket. In the seven editions of the T20 World Cup, there are only five instances when a bowler has taken a hat trick in a match.
T20 World Cup Hat Trick List
| Bowler | Team | Against | Year | Venue | Victims |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brett Lee | Australia | Bangladesh | 2007 | Cape Town | Shakib Al Hasan, Mashrafe Mortaza, Alok Kapali |
| Curtis Campher | Ireland | Netherlands | 2021 | Abu Dhabi | CN Ackermann, RN ten Doeschate, SA Edwards RE van der Merwe |
| Wanindu Hasaranga | Sri Lanka | South Africa | 2021 | Sharjah | Aiden Markram, Temba Bavuma, Dwaine Pretorius |
| Kagiso Rabada | South Africa | England | 2021 | Sharjah | Chris Woakes, Eoin Morgan, Chris Jordan |
| Karthik Meiyappan | United Arab Emirates | Sri Lanka | 2022 | Geelong | Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Charith Asalanka, Dasun Shanaka |
| Josh Little | Ireland | New Zealand | 2022 | Adelaide | Kane Williamson, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner |
Most Hat Tricks in T20 World Cup Year Wise
| Year | Times |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 3 Times |
| 2022 | 2 Times |
Watch: UAE spinner Karthik Meiyappan took first hat trick in T20 World Cup 2022 against Sri Lanka
So, in this article, we will cover all 5 of those hat-tricks.
1. Brett Lee against Bangladesh in 2007 WC (first ever in T20 World Cup)
The first ever hat-trick was taken by Australian speedster Brett Lee in the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup in South Africa. It was the 14th game of the tournament between Australia and Bangladesh. Australia won the toss and batted first. Bangladesh had a poor start and lost a few wickets in the middle. But in the 17th over of the innings, Brett Lee came and changed the game totally.
He dismissed Shakib Al Hasan, Mashrafe Mortaza, and Alok Kapali off three consecutive balls to register the first hat trick in the T20 World Cup. On the third, fourth, and fifth balls of the over, he got wicket. Thus, Bangladesh made only 123/8 in 20 overs, and Australia chased it down easily with 13.5 overs and made 124/1.
2. Curtis Campher against Netherlands in 2021 WC
It took 14 years to register the second hat-trick in the T20 World Cup. But guess what? The 2021 World Cup saw a total of three hat tricks in one single edition. It was the third game of the 2021 event between the Netherlands and Ireland in Abu Dhabi. After winning the toss, Netherlands chose to bat first, but it went totally wrong. Ireland bowled really well and bowled the Netherlands out for 106 runs.
Every Irish bowler bowled well, but the match is remembered for Curtis Campher, who took 4/26, including a hat trick. This was only the World Cup’s second hat-trick. In fact, this was four wickets off four consecutive balls, the first and only time in the World Cup. He came out to bowl the 10th over and on the second, third, fourth, and fifth balls, he dismissed CN Ackermann, RN ten Doeschate, SA Edwards, and RE van der Merwe, respectively. Ireland then chased down 107/3 in 15.1 overs and won the match.
3. Wanindu Hasaranga against South Africa in 2021 WC
Wanindu Hasaranga registered the third World Cup hat trick and second in the 2021 edition. It was the 25th match of the tournament between Sri Lanka and South Africa in Sharjah. Batting first, Sri Lanka got all out for 142 runs, with Pathum Nissanka top-scoring with 72 runs. It was not a big total to chase, and they started well.
However, Hasaranga came out to bowl his second spell and registered a hat-trick to break the momentum of the South African chase. He dismissed Aiden Markram, Temba Bavuma, and Dwaine Pretorius on three consecutive balls to bring his team into the game. But in the end, South Africa chased the target in the very last over to win the game.
4. Kagiso Rabada against England in 2021 T20 World Cup
The fourth hat trick in the T20 World Cup is registered under the name of Kagiso Rabada. In the 39th match of the 2021 WC between England and South Africa, the English team won the toss and bowled first. With the 103* runs partnership for the third wicket, South Africa scored 189/2 in their 20 overs. It was a competitive total, but England were still favorites.
England started well and kept up the required run rate. They were at 176/5 in the final over, needing 14 runs. It looked like they would get over the line. But Kagiso Rabada came and took three wickets in the first three balls of the last over to change the momentum in favor of South Africa. And England could only manage to score three runs in that over and lost by 10 runs.