Who is Afghanistan's hat-trick hero Karim Janat? Key details
Afghanistan finished second best against Bangladesh in a last-over thriller in the first T20I in Sylhet. It was a cracking contest that was won by Bangladesh by two wickets despite Karim Janat scalping a hat-trick in the last over. Janat was superb to scalp under pressure and almost guided Afghanistan to victory. He became the second Afghan bowler to claim a T20I hat-trick.
An impressive hat-trick from Janat
Janat showed his brilliance in the final over. While defending only six runs, he went for a boundary early on. However, he removed Mehidy Hasan, who found the mid-wicket fielder with a pull shot. Janat then dismissed Taskin Ahmed with a short and wide delivery and lastly, he outfoxed Nasum Ahmed with another short-pitch delivery to complete his hat-trick.
Who is Karim Janat?
Born on August 11, 1998, Janat is a 24-year-old pace bowling all-rounder for Afghanistan. Janat hails from Kabul and has represented Afghanistan at various levels starting from the U-19 team to the Afghanistan A side. He is the younger brother of former Afghanistan skipper Asghar Afghan. Janat made his international debut against UAE in 2016 and was also adjudged the Man of the Match.
The second Afghanistan bowler to claim a T20I hat-trick
Janat has the second Afghanistan bowler to claim a T20I hat-trick after spin wizard Rashid Khan. Rashid registered his T20I hat-trick against Ireland in 2019. He did one better by scalping four wickets in as many balls. Meanwhile, Janat has claimed the 50th hat-trick in the shortest format (internationals).
5th bowler to claim a hat-trick against Bangladesh
Janat is now the fifth bowler to claim a hat-trick against Bangladesh in the 20-over format. Former Australia speedster Brett Lee was the first to do so in September 2007. Former Lankan ace Lasith Malinga claimed a hat-trick in 2017. India's Deepak Chahar joined the duo in November 2019. Australia's Nathan Ellis claimed the fourth hat-trick in August 2021.
A look at his overall numbers
Courtesy of the hat-trick, Janat has snapped 37 wickets in 48 T20Is at an average of 26.81. His best T20I bowling figures of 5/11 came against West Indies in 2019 in Lucknow. With the bat, he has amassed 488 runs in 48 T20Is at 18.07 (50s: 3). In T20s, Janat has claimed 93 wickets, besides amassing 1,650 runs in 108 matches.
How did the match pan out?
Afghanistan were off to a poor start. They were reeling at 32/3 inside five overs. Mohammad Nabi (54*) played a fighting knock as Afghanistan posted 154/7. In reply, Bangladesh had a similar start at 64/4 in 10.1 overs. But Tawhid Hridoy and Shamim Hossain's contribution kept Bangladesh in the game. Janat kept Afghanistan in the game, but Bangladesh crossed the line eventually.
