When one thinks of ideas for a bowler to get a batsman out, three ways pop up instantly – leg before wicket, caught by a fielder or wicket keeper and bowled. Some of the other ones such as hit wicket extend into the unconventional category.
Getting three wickets in a row will go a long way in contributing immensely to the team’s cause while the bowler also gets to etch his name in the history books. Until now, as many as *3770 ODIs have been played and just 40 of those feature hat tricks in them.
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Surprisingly, only three hat tricks contain the three different types of dismissals which are commonly associated with the game. Let us take a detailed look at what transpired in those memorable instances.
(*All statistics are as of 25th August, 2016)
#3 – Farveez Maharoof against India, 2010 Asia Cup
On paper, this was a dress rehearsal for the summit clash of 2010 Asia Cup. Sri Lanka won the toss in Dambulla and decided to insert the Indians on a typically dry pitch. Having prised out early wickets, the seam bowlers allowed their slower team-mates to apply the screws.
When skipper MS Dhoni succumbed to a run-out, not a lot of back-up was present in the big-hitting department. However, a couple of wickets would result in a much lower target for the hosts.
And, Farveez Maharoof gave them exactly that and much more as he bowled a high octane over. After trapping Ravindra Jadeja who got into a tangle in front of the stumps, the medium pacer came up with a slower delivery to castle a bewildered Praveen Kumar.
Sensing the occasion, the spectators got into the action and egged Maharoof on. When an unsuspecting Zaheer Khan poked at a regular delivery, wicket-keeper Kumar Sangakkara completed a brilliant take to send the stadium into delirium. Including Dhoni’s dismissal, four wickets fell in the space of four deliveries in four different ways.
In the end, the Lankans romped home with 75 balls and 7 wickets in hand. However, the shoe was on the other foot in the final as Dhoni’s team cantered to a comfortable victory to lift the Asia Cup.
#2 – Kagiso Rabada against Bangladesh, 2015
There are very few sights more exhilarating than a young tear away speedster steaming into bowl without any care in the world. Marking his maiden international appearance, a 20-year old fast bowler from Johannesburg instantly endeared himself to the cricketing fraternity’s attention with a stunning performance.
Amidst gloomy skies and a green tinged surface, Kagiso Rabada scythed through a nonplussed Bangladeshi batting lineup by operating at a lively pace. His first international scalp was Tamim Iqbal who could not handle a full delivery which cannoned on to the stumps.
After Liton Das played a ludicrous shot by chipping one right into square leg’s hands, Rabada beat Mahmudullah for pace by trapping him in front as the Mirpur crowd fell into an eerie silence.
Not satisfied with becoming only the second bowler to take a hat-trick on ODI debut, he returned to finish the tail to end up with figures of 8-3-16-6 and helped South Africa cruise to an easy win. Even though his team went on to lose the two subsequent matches, Rabada had sent the adrenaline flowing by announcing himself.
#1 – James Faulkner against Sri Lanka, 2016
Having been whitewashed in the Test series, Australia turned towards their limited-overs specialists for rejuvenation. Although the likes of Aaron Finch and George Bailey assisted skipper Steve Smith in the tricky chase, James Faulkner was chiefly responsible for their victory in the first ODI with his knack for picking up wickets.
He was at it again in the second match on the same venue (Colombo RPS). With conditions suitable for his style of bowling, the left-arm seamer stifled Sri Lanka in the death overs by resorting to multiple variations of the slower delivery.
After seeing a well-set Kusal Perera attempting a wild reverse scoop, Faulkner targeted the stumps and found his boot on the line off the last ball. He began the next over by taking the pace off and forcing Angelo Mathews to mistime one into the sky who could only find long-off’s hands.
With the dangerous Thisara Perera returning on strike, the 26-year old kept it simple and castled the stumps by holding his length back slightly. Despite Faulkner’s display, the damage had been done earlier as Sri Lanka’s total of 288 proved to be more than enough on a deteriorating surface.
However, the all-rounder earned himself another rare record by also claiming the first ODI hat-trick without dismissing any batsman for a duck.
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