These New Zealand bowlers own hat-tricks in T20I cricket
Lockie Ferguson etched his name in history by becoming the fifth New Zealand bowler to take a hat-trick in T20 Internationals. The incredible feat was achieved during the second T20I against Sri Lanka in Dambulla on Sunday. The fast bowler's brilliant achievement came over two overs. Here we look at NZ bowlers with hat-tricks in the T20I format.
Lockie Ferguson vs Sri Lanka, 2024
Ferguson's hat-trick started with the wicket of Kusal Perera on the last ball of the sixth over. He returned to bowl in the eighth over, where he got Kamindu Mendis and Charith Asalanka off his first two balls. Mendis was dismissed through LBW while Asalanka was caught off Ferguson's first ball. Ferguson's 2/7 across two overs meant NZ won the contest by five runs while defending a paltry 108.
Jacob Oram vs Sri Lanka, 2009
Jacob Oram's last-over hat trick helped New Zealand come from behind to beat Sri Lanka by three runs in the 2009 Colombo T20I. Defending nine runs, Oram dismissed Malinda Bandara and Nuwan Kulasekara off the first two balls to complete the hat trick. He had earlier dismissed Angelo Mathews off the last ball of the 17th over. He finished with 3/33 as NZ defended a paltry 141.
Tim Southee owns multiple hat-tricks
Tim Southee is among the few bowlers with multiple T20I hat-tricks. His first T20I hat-trick was recorded in December 2010 against Pakistan in Auckland. He got rid of Younis Khan, Mohammad Hafeez, and Umar Akmal to reach the landmark. The veteran pacer took his second hat-trick in the 2022 Mount Maunganui T20I against India. He dismissed Hardik Pandya, Deepak Hooda, and Washington Sundar in the final over to attain this feat.
Michael Bracewell vs Ireland, 2021
Off-spinner Michael Bracewell starred in NZ's 88-run win against Ireland in the 2021 Belfast game. He bagged a hat-trick in the very first over of his debut T20I, thereby becoming the first man to do so in T20I cricket. Mark Adair, Barry McCarthy, and Craig Young were his victims as Bracewell's 3/5 helped NZ bowl Ireland out for a paltry 91.
Matt Henry vs Pakistan, 2023
Matt Henry's hat-trick versus Pakistan in the 2023 Lahore T20I went in vain. He had Shadab Khan and Iftikhar Ahmed caught on the final two balls of the 13th over. Shaheen Afridi became his victim in the first ball of the 18th over as Henry claimed 3/32 in his four overs. Despite his efforts, the Kiwis suffered a crushing 88-run defeat.
