Brett Lee, Curtis Campher, Wanindu Hasaranga, and Kagiso Rabada all hold the record for the most hat-tricks in T20 World Cup history given that they are the only bowlers to take achieve the feat in the ICC event.
It goes without saying that taking a hat trick in any format of the game is a difficult job for any bowler. It is especially more difficult in the T20 format of cricket where the game favours the batters and heavy-hitting more. There’s no getting around the fact that 20-over cricket is heavily tilted towards the batsmen and bowlers have to bear the brunt of it.
So far, in the history of T20I cricket, only 20 hattricks have been recorded by bowlers. Curiously enough, only four of them have arrived at the grand stage of the T20 World Cup which is the most prized and treasured competition in this format.
No bowler has been able to register more than a single hat-trick in T20 World Cup history. Not a single hat-trick was taken between the 2009 and 2016 T20 World Cups. However, the most recent edition of the T20 World Cup, held in the United Arab Emirates in 2021 saw as many as three hat-tricks being recorded, which is the most for a single edition of the World Cup!
Without further ado, let’s take a look at all the bowlers who have taken a hat trick in the T20 World Cup so far:
Most hat-tricks in T20 World Cup: Full list of bowlers
| Bowler | Team | Against | Year | Venue | Victims |
| Brett Lee | Australia | Bangladesh | 2007 WC | Cape Town | Shakib Al Hasan, Mashrafe Mortaza, Alok Kapali |
| Curtis Campher | Ireland | Netherlands | 2021 WC | Abu Dhabi | CN Ackermann, RN ten Doeschate, SA Edwards, and RE van der Merwe |
| Wanindu Hasaranga | Sri Lanka | South Africa | 2021 WC | Sharjah | Aiden Markram, Temba Bavuma, Dwaine Pretorius |
| Kagiso Rabada | South Africa | England | 2021 WC | Sharjah | Chris Woakes, Eoin Morgan, Chris Jordan |
Brett Lee, Australia vs Bangladesh, ICC T20 World Cup 2007
Australian fast bowling legend Brett Lee was the first to take a hattrick in the T20 World Cup. He achieved this feat in the inaugural edition of the tournament in 2007 when it was held in South Africa.
In the 14th match of the tournament, Australia were up against Bangladesh. Having won the toss, Australia decided to bowl first. Bangladesh got off to a decent start and were going strongly before Brett Lee came to bowl the 17th over and completely changed the contest.
He picked up three wickets off three consecutive deliveries to create history at the T20 World Cup. Shakib Al Hasan, Mashrafe Mortaza, and Alok Kapali were his victims in that game. He got his wickets on the third, fourth, and fifth deliveries of the game and his match-winning spell of 3/27 restricted Bangladesh to just 123/8. Australia were able to chase the target inside 14 overs and it resulted in a nine-wicket win.
Also Read: Most wickets in T20 World Cup
Curtis Campher, Ireland vs the Netherlands, ICC T20 World Cup 2021
The second hat trick in T20 World Cup history arrived after a gap of 14 years after Brett Lee’s hattrick in the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup. In only the third match of the T20 World Cup in 2021, Ireland took on the Netherlands in Abu Dhabi.
Having won the toss, Netherlands decided to bat first but their move didn’t pay off at all. While the entire Irish bowling unit bowled extremely well, the effort was spearheaded by Curtis Campher who recorded the first hat-trick during the World Cup held in UAE last year.
In fact, Campher took four wickets off four consecutive deliveries when he came to bowl the 10th over. Colin Ackermann, Ryan ten Doeschate, Scott Edwards, and Roelof van der Merwe were dismissed on the second, third, fourth, and fifth balls as he registered a spell of 4/26. Ireland then chased down 107/3 in 15.1 overs and won the match comfortably.
Wanindu Hasaranga, Sri Lanka vs South Africa, ICC T20 World Cup 2021
Sri Lankan star all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga was elected as the Most Valuable Player of the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 for his consistent performances. Hasaranga was brilliant throughout the competition but the highlight of his campaign was when he faced South Africa in the 25th match of the 2021 T20 World Cup 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 defend which is why the Sri Lankan bowlers needed to be on their toes. The effort was led by Hasaranga when he came to bowl his second spell.
The spin-bowling all-rounder dismissed Aiden Markram, Temba Bavuma, and Dwaine Pretorius on three consecutive balls to bring his team into the game. However, it didn’t prove to be enough as South Africa went on to win the game. Hasaranga, however, finished as the highest wicket-taker in the T20 World Cup with 16 wickets in eight matches.
Also Read: Which country won first T20 World Cup?
Kagiso Rabada, South Africa vs England, ICC T20 World Cup 2021
South African speedster Kagiso Rabada recorded the third and final hat-trick in the T20 World Cup 2021 when he faced England in the 39th match of the competition. England had actually won the toss and decided to bowl first. However, their plan back-fired as South Africa posted a total of 189/2 thanks to an unbeaten 103-run partnership between Rassie van der Dussen 94* (60) and Aiden Markram 52* (25).
However, England also began things on a strong note and continued to push on. Moeen Ali and Dawid Malan led the charge for them. They were at 176/5 in the final over, needing 14 runs. It looked like they would get over the line.
However, Rabada had other ideas in mind. He took three wickets in the first three balls of the last over to completely change the momentum and South Africa won the game by 10 runs thanks to Rabada’s brilliance.
FAQs
Who has taken the most hat tricks in T20 cricket?
Lasith Malinga is the only bowler to record multiple hat-tricks in T20I cricket. He took his first hat-trick against Bangladesh in 2017 and his second hat-trick arrived against New Zealand two years later.
Who took the first hat trick in T20 World Cup?
Australian pace legend Brett Lee holds the record for taking the first hat-trick in T20 World Cup history against Bangladesh in 2007.
Who has the most ICC Cricket World Cup hat trick to their name?
Once again, Lasith Malinga leads the list as he is the only bowler to take two hat-tricks in the ICC Cricket World Cup. Malinga recorded his first hat-trick against South Africa in 2007 where he scalped four wickets in four balls to make history. His second World Cup hat-trick came during the 2011 edition against Kenya.
Who won the first T20 World Cup?
India won the first T20 World Cup in 2007. They defeated Pakistan in the final to become world champions in this format for the first time ever.
