PALLEKELE (KANDY), September 2019: Achieving a ‘hat-trick’ is in itself a rare feat for a bowler. To perform a ‘double hat-trick’ is even rarer. Then what would you call someone who has just produced a double ‘double hat-trick’? For sure, there is just one person who has done the impossible twice, and that is only because he is one of cricket’s greatest magicians – Lasith Malinga.
Just when it seemed like it was heading for another New Zealand victory for a series clean sweep on 6 September, when their spinners had restricted Sri Lanka to 125-8 in the third Twenty20 International in Kandy, Malinga, Sri Lanka’s legendary slinger turned the tables with a stunning spell of 5-6 including a ‘double hat-trick’ – four wickets in four balls – to dismiss the visitors for 88 and end their tour of the island nation with a 37-run defeat. New Zealand held a 2-0 lead in the T20 series coming into the final match of their tour.
Malinga, who captained Sri Lanka in the series against New Zealand, earned for himself the dream birthday gift – he turned 36 last week but has shown no signs of slowing down with yet another extraordinary effort to take the wickets of Colin Munro, Hamish Rutherford, Colin de Grandhomme and Ross Taylor in four balls in a row, which established more than one milestone. It was the eighth hat-trick in T20 internationals and Malinga’s fifth for his country – three in ODIs and two in T20s – which is also a first in international cricket One of the world’s most devastating white ball bowlers also achieved another world record in the final T20 against New Zealand, becoming the first bowler to take his tally to 100 wickets in T20 Internationals.
Even more remarkable is the fact that it wasn’t even Malinga’s first four-in-four in international cricket, either. Twelve years ago at the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean, Malinga produced a ‘double hat-trick’ against South Africa when he removed Shaun Pollock, Andrew Hall, Jacques Kallis and Makhaya Ntini. Commenting on Malinga’s impressive bowling during the 2007 World Cup, another international icon, the former West Indies cricketer, Sir Viv Richards was quoted as saying that Lasith Malinga is the best thing that happened to Sri Lankan cricket after Aravinda de Silva.
Malinga, whose spectacular rise to international stardom from humble beginnings in the cricket-crazy coastal village of Rathgama in Galle, has inspired millions of fans and budding cricketers in Sri Lanka and around the world, is now the only bowler in history to capture four wickets in four successive balls in both One-Day Internationals and T20 Internationals.
This is often referred to as a ‘double hat-trick’ since it consists of two sets of overlapping pairs of hat-tricks. Balls 1,2,3 consists of one set and balls 2, 3, 4 consists of the other hence the term ‘double hat-trick’.
With his latest sensational bowling figures of 4-1-6-5, Malinga has also jumped 20 places to No.21 on the latest ICC T20I Rankings for bowlers released on 7 September. Malinga had already become the highest wicket-taker in the shortest format of the game, when he claimed his 99th scalp during the first T20 international against New Zealand to surpass Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi’s tally of 98 wickets.
Indeed, After Malinga’s feat, the record for most number of wickets in all three formats is now held in the name of Sri Lanka cricketers.While Malinga is the top T20 International wicket-taker, former Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan sits on the top in ODI and Test formats.
The record for most number of wickets in ODIs has been held by Muttiah Muralitharan since 2009. The right-arm spinner who played his last 50-ball game in 2011 is leading the table with 534 wickets to his name. Second on the list is former Pakistan fast bowler Wasim Akram, who trails the Sri Lankan by a vast margin with his 502 wickets.
Muralitharan, 47, is also the highest wicket-taker in Tests with 800 scalps. Muralitharan is only the second bowler thus far to simultaneously hold the record for most Test and ODI wickets. The last cricketer to hold such a distinction was former Indian captain Kapil Dev.
Great article. At one point it was a sheer struggle to find bowlers who could make a breakthrough. Now we have record-breakers.
Malinga and Murali – an incredible pace-spin combination that has put Sri Lanka on top of the world.