Hat tricks have always been a delight to watch! Though it is a rare feat, it adds to the excitement and intrigue of the match when it occurs. There have been 46 hat tricks in Test cricket, 49 in One Day Internationals, and 16 in Twenty20 Internationals. Australian bowler Fred Spofforth achieved the first hat trick in international cricket against England in1979. The most recent one gets bowled by Sri Lankan right-arm bowler Akila Dananjaya against West Indies in March 2021. These are the nine most renowned and memorable hat tricks in the history of international cricket ranked in order.
10. Thisara Perera (2016, Ranchi)
The all-rounder star of Sri Lanka claimed his hat trick against India in the 19th over of the 2nd T20 match played on February 12, 2016, during the Sri Lanka tour of India and Bangladesh at Ranchi. Even though it was an easy 69 runs win for India and Perera's hat trick couldn't make a difference, he took out Pandya (27), Raina (30), and Yuvraj Singh (0). Perera made history as the first-ever Sri Lankan player to get a hat trick in the T20s.
9. Brett Lee (2007, Cape Town)
With his outstanding performance against Bangladesh in the WT20, Brett Lee is one of the fastest bowlers globally and is ranked 9th on the list. Lee created history on September 16 in 2007, when he became the first bowler in International T20 history to take a hat trick. Thanks to Lee, Australia was able to stop Bangladesh at 123/8, and the Australians swiftly knocked down the mark, winning by nine wickets.
8. Trent Boult (2019, Lord’s)
On June 29, 2019, at the ICC Cricket World Cup, in another iconic encounter between New Zealand and Australia at the legendary Lord's, the NZ pacer delivered a 10-over spell which resulted in a hat trick and a figure of 4-51. The Australians overcame the early wicket loss and Boult's lethal hat trick to win by 86 runs! Boult was on the losing side, but his spell was memorable because it marked the first time a Kiwi bowler had a hat trick in an ICC World Cup match.
7. Kuldeep Yadav (2019, Vishakhapatnam)
On December 18, 2019, India made a mountain of runs of 387 during the 2nd ODI of the West Indies tour of India, courtesy of a powerful opening partnership. Kuldeep claimed his second T20 hat trick in the 33rd over and finished with a 10-over figure of 3-52. As a result, India triumphed by a whopping 107-run margin. He also became the first Indian player to take 2 ODI hat tricks.
6. Andrew Flintoff (2009, Gros Islet)
On April 3, 2009, during the 5th ODI match of England's tour of the West Indies, Flintoff bowled a 5-over spell and scored a magnificent 5-19. Even though the contest was limited to 29 overs due to rain, Flintoff achieved his first hat trick in international cricket. On top, his spell was the key in England's unexpected victory by 26 runs and won the series by 3-2.
5. Wasim Akram (1999, Lahore & Dhaka)
The Pakistani pacer had already scored two ODI hat tricks, but during the first Asian Test Championship held in 1998-99, Akram bagged his first and his second test hat tricks, both against Sri Lanka. In Lahore on March 4, 1999, Akram struck his first hat trick in SL's first innings. The match ended in a tie. His second hat trick came just four days later, in the tournament final in Dhaka, leading Pakistan to a heroic victory by an innings and 175 runs.
4. Harbhajan Singh (2001, Kolkata)
The Indian right-arm bowler, Harbhajan Singh, amazed everyone when he scored a spectacular hat trick against Australia at the 21. On March 11, 2001, Singh became the first Indian bowler to take a hat trick during the second test match at Kolkata's Eden Garden. After their devastating loss in the first test match in Mumbai, India was under immense pressure. However, Singh's stunning seven wickets in the first innings propelled India's victory.
3. Lasith Malinga (2007, Providence)
Malinga cannot get ignored when it comes to hat tricks. Malinga has three hat tricks in ODIs (most by any bowler!), but his hat trick against South Africa in a nerve-wracking match on March 28, 2009, is a highlight in the ICC World Cup. In the 45th over, Malinga claimed two wickets in the last two balls. He returned to bowl the 47th over, when SA required five runs from 18 balls, and took two more wickets for a figure of 4-54. To SL's dismay, SA overcame Malinga's lethal performance and won the match by one wicket.
2. Rashid Khan (2019, Dehradun)
Rashid Khan grabbed four wickets in four balls in the 3rd T20 match between Afghanistan and Ireland in Dehradun on February 24, 2019, which was the first time in international cricket since Malinga's spell in the 2007 World Cup against South Africa! Afghanistan won the match by 32 runs with the help of Khan's 5-wicket haul for a stunning 5-27.
1. Lasith Malinga (2019, Pallekelle)
The 'King of Hat tricks' returns to the top and takes the top spot! In the 3rd T20I of New Zealand's tour of Sri Lanka, on September 6, 2019, the legendary pacer finished with a 5-wicket haul and a threatening 5-6 figure. Malinga's 2nd hat trick in T20I came in the third over when he claimed four wickets in a row. In the fifth over, he returned to grab another one. Sri Lanka won the match by the margin of 37 runs.
