Dismissing batters on consecutive balls is certainly not a simple task. However, there are a few bowlers who have done the impossible and cleaned up 4 batsmen in 4 consecutive balls.
When a bowler gets 4 wickets in 4 balls, it is known as a double hat-trick. It is an extraordinary accomplishment, and only a few bowlers are there in the list who have achieved it.
Now, let us see the bowlers who took double hat-tricks in international cricket.
List of Players With Double Hat-Trick in international
1. Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka) vs South Africa – 2007
Lasith Malinga took the first double hat-trick in international cricket ever. The Yorker King reached this exceptional point in the ODI World Cup game against South Africa in 2007.
Malinga’s double hat-trick was the source of the game’s excitement. The South Africa team was chasing the target of 210 runs set by Sri Lanka.
They were very close to victory at 206 for 5 but Malinga turned the situation completely.
He bowled Shaun Pollock and got Andrew Hall caught on the last 2 balls of the 45th over. The fast bowler came back in the 47th over, getting a well-set Jacques Kallis and Makhaya Ntini on the first 2 balls to claim his 4th wicket.
By this time, South Africa required 3 runs to win while Sri Lanka just needed one more wicket. But the last South African pair stood firm and took the match.
2. Rashid Khan (Afghanistan) vs Ireland – 2019
Rashid Khan was the first bowler who took a double hat-trick in T20I cricket. He got 4 wickets in 4 balls against Ireland in 2019.
Ireland was chasing a target of 211 runs, and the Afghani spinner disrupted their middle order. Rashid grabbed his first wicket by sending a well-set Kevin O’Brien back to the pavilion on the last ball of the 16th over.
He opened the 18th over with the catch out of George Dockrell, followed by the stumping of Shane Getkate and the dismissal of Simi Singh by LBW. Ireland was thus left with 158 runs for 7 wickets, in a difficult situation.
Rashid later took one more wicket to claim 5 for 27 and also contributed to Afghanistan’s victory by 32 runs.
3. Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka) vs New Zealand – 2019
Lasith Malinga once again made headlines for his remarkable feat of double hat-trick against New Zealand in a T20 international match in 2019. He became the first bowler in the history of the game to perform double hat-tricks in both one day international and T20 formats.
Mentioning all this about Malinga’s performance, Sri Lanka had to defend their target of 126 runs and thus urgently needed breakthroughs at the start. And, that’s what the captain Malinga served.
The ace pacer cut off New Zealand’s top order right in the third over. On the third delivery, he clean-bowled Colin Munro and then got Hamish Rashford out LBW on the fourth ball.
On the next 2 balls, Slinga Malinga bowled out Colin de Grandhomme and also got Ross Taylor out for a duck. The Kiwis suffered a huge loss as 15 for 4 was their score.
New Zealand couldn’t bounce back from the early shocks and got all out for 88 runs.
4. Curtis Campher (Ireland) vs Netherlands – 2021
Ireland’s Curtis Campher was the cause of the Dutch team’s destruction in the preliminary round of the 2021 T20 World Cup.
The Netherlands were already on their way to 50 for 2 in the ninth over after choosing to bat first. At this juncture, the Dutch were brought back into the contest a bit by Campher.
On the second ball of the 10th over, the medium pacer caught Colin Ackermann behind the wicket. Camphor then bowled Ryan ten Doeschate, and Scott Edwards, and Roelof van der Merwe for ducks to leave the Dutch scrambling at 51 for 6 on the next 3 deliveries.
5. Jason Holder (West Indies) vs England | 2022
In January 2022, Jason Holder became the first West Indies bowler and the fifth player overall to achieve a double hat-trick in international cricket. His 4 in 4 performance came in the last match of the series between West Indies and England.
There were 20 runs to win for England in the last over, and it was Holder who had the ball. The tall pacer got rid of Chris Jordan on the second ball, and then Sam Billing’s wicket came on the very next ball.
Holder’s next two wickets were Adil Rashid and Saqib Mahmood, which finished England’s innings at 162 runs. Thus, the West Indies won the match and the series.
