Pat Cummins joins exclusive group with T20 World Cup hat-trick

Fast bowler Pat Cummins created history in Antigua on Thursday when he became just the second Australian player and seventh overall to claim a hat-trick in a ICC Men's T20 World Cup match.

Cummins picked up two wickets from the final two deliveries of his third over against Bangladesh and then completed the feat with the opening ball of his last over at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium when he had Towhid Hridoy caught at short fine leg.

It meant Cummins joined compatriot Brett Lee as Australian bowlers to have taken a hat-trick at a Men's T20 World Cup, after the legendary right-armer achieved the feat against Bangladesh in 2007.

Cummins joins an illustrious group of just seven players to have taken a hat-trick at a Men's T20 World Cup, with Lee (2007), Curtis Campher (2021), Wanindu Hasaranga (2021), Kagiso Rabada (2021), Karthik Meiyappan (2022) and Josh Little (2022) the other bowlers to have done so previously.

Remarkably, speaking to the ICC after the match, Cummins revealed that he'd forgotten that he was even on a hat-trick when he started his final over:

"It’s been a pretty good day all round; a few trophies and a really good win to kick off our Super Eights.

"The last two balls of the previous over I knew I was on a hat-trick, and I’d totally forgotten about it by the start of the next over. (Marcus) Stoinis came running in from the deep and told me, that’s the first I knew of it."

Cummins finished his spell with figures of 3/29 as Australia restricted Bangladesh to 140/8 in their opening Super Eights fixture at the T20 World Cup.