SL's Nuwan Thushara joins elite list with hat-trick versus Bangladesh
Sri Lanka's fast-bowling sensation Nuwan Thushara scripted history with a majestic hat-trick in the third and final T20I against Bangladesh in Sylhet. He became just the fifth from his nation to accomplish a T20I hat-trick. Thushara breathed fire with the ball in the fourth over of the innings, which was his first in the game. He went on to claim a fifer.
A stunning display from Thushara
He dismissed Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto (1) with his very second ball. The back-of-the-lenghth inswinger shattered Shanto's stumps. Towhid Hridoy (0) was his next victim as Thushara disturbed his stumps as well but this time with a fast out-swinger. He bowled a similar delivery to Mahmudullah (0), who was trapped in front as Thushara completed his hat-trick.
Thushara joins these names
As mentioned, Thushara became the fifth SL bowler to claim a T20I hat-trick. He has joined Thisara Perera, Lasith Malinga (twice), Akila Dananjaya, and Wanindu Hasaranga. Meanwhile, he became the second SL bowler after Malinga to accomplish the milestone versus the Tigers. Australia's Brett Lee, his compatriot Nathan Ellis, India's Deepak Chahar, and Afghanistan's Karim Janat are the others with T20I hat-tricks versus Bangladesh.
Fourth bowler to accomplish this feat
Soumya Sarkar (11) and Shoriful Islam (4) were Thushara's other two victims as Thushara finished with 5/20 in four overs. He became the fourth bowler after Chahar (6/7), West Indies's Keemo Paul (5/15), and Australia's Adam Zampa (5/19) to claim a T20I fifer against the Tigers. No other SL bowler has claimed even a four-fer against the Tigers in T20Is.
Here are his numbers
Thushara made his T20I debut for Sri Lanka in 2022 against Australia. He has now raced to 11 wickets from eight T20Is at an economy of 8.97. His 5/20 are now his best T20I figures. Overall in T20 cricket, Thushara has raced to 120 wickets in 87 T20 matches at an exceptional average of around 18 (4W: 3, 5W: 2).
Who is Nuwan Thushara?
Son of a construction worker, the 29-year-old Thushara started playing serious cricket a bit late. He made his First-Class debut in 2015 and his slinging action bagged a lot of limelight. He will play for Mumbai Indians (MI) in the 2024 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Notably, Thushara's bowling action resembles to that of Malinga.
How did the game pan out?
Kusal Mendis smashed a career-best 86 as the Lankans posted 174/7 in 20 overs. Thushara's fifer then silenced the hosts as they were bundled out for 146. The Lankans hence claimed a 28-run win. Rishad Hossain showcased some fight with a handy 53 lower down the order. With this win, Sri Lanka clinched the three-match series 3-1.
