Cummins sets T20 World Cup record with consecutive hat-tricks
Australian fast bowler Pat Cummins made history on Saturday in St Vincent, becoming the first player to secure hat-tricks in consecutive ICC Men's T20 World Cup matches.
Cummins' feat began with a hat-trick against Bangladesh on Thursday, taking three wickets across two overs.
He then repeated the feat against Afghanistan, dismissing Rashid Khan, Karim Janat, and Gulbadin Naib with successive deliveries.
This remarkable accomplishment marks only the eighth instance of a bowler claiming a hat-trick in the history of the T20 World Cup and is the first time any player has achieved this milestone more than once.
Cummins joins a distinguished group of bowlers who have previously taken hat-tricks in the tournament, including Brett Lee (2007), Curtis Campher (2021), Wanindu Hasaranga (2021), Kagiso Rabada (2021), Karthik Meiyappan (2022), and Josh Little (2022).
Reflecting on his achievement, Cummins admitted that he was unaware of his hat-trick during the Bangladesh match.
However, he was fully conscious of his accomplishments during the game against Afghanistan. "I remembered that one," Cummins commented during the innings break.
"It's crazy that I have played over 100 games for Australia and now I have two hat-tricks in a row."
Afghanistan's stunning upset against Australia
Gulbadin Naib's deadly spell guided Afghanistan to a historic 21-run victory over Australia in their T20 World Cup 2024, Super 8 match.
Chasing 149, Australia lost early wickets before Glenn Maxwell came to the rescue and dominated the Afghan bowlers. Maxwell scored 59 off 41 balls and brought Australia back into the game.
However, the Afghan bowlers bounced back in style and bundled out Australia for 127 and registered a thrilling win. Naib scalped four wickets while Naveen-ul-Haq scalped three.
Apart from them, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai and Rashid Khan also scalped one wicket each. This was Afghanistan's first-ever win over Australia in international cricket.
With a semi-final spot on the line, Australia's top order was wiped out by Afghanistan's seamers.