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Mahmudullah, the seasoned Bangladesh all-rounder, unfortunately set a new record during the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 Super Eight match against Australia. He now holds the distinction of being involved in the highest number of hat-tricks across all teams in international cricket’s three formats.
In the match at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Australia, led by Mitchell Marsh, secured a 28-run victory over Bangladesh via the DLS method on Friday, June 21 (India time). This win propelled Australia to the top of Group 1 in the Super 8 stage, while Bangladesh languishes at the bottom with a net run rate (NRR) of -2.471.
Opting to bowl first after winning the toss, Mitchell Marsh’s decision paid off early when Mitchell Starc dismissed opener Tanzid Hasan for a duck in just three balls. Bangladesh struggled to build momentum, with skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto (41 runs off 36 balls) and Towhid Hridoy (40 off 28) making notable contributions. However, the team faltered as Adam Zampa and Pat Cummins tightened the screws.
Cummins’ late heroics included a hat-trick in the 18th and 20th overs, dismissing Mahmudullah, Mahedi Hasan, and Towhid Hridoy. Mahmudullah fell to Cummins in the penultimate ball of the 18th over, marking a significant moment in the match and tournament history.
Cummins thus became the seventh Australian and seventh overall bowler to achieve a T20 World Cup hat-trick, sealing Australia’s victory and underscoring Mahmudullah’s unfortunate record in the process.
Mahmudullah’s latest match saw Bangladesh concede their seventh hat-trick in T20 Internationals, marking the highest number against any team in this format. Notably, Mahmudullah has been dismissed in three of these seven instances, the most by any batsman in T20Is.
Across all formats of international cricket, Mahmudullah holds the record for being involved in the most hat-tricks. In total, he has been part of six hat-tricks: three in T20Is, two in ODIs, and one in Tests. This unwanted record underscores Mahmudullah’s unfortunate connection to these rare occurrences in cricket.
Australia has registered several memorable hat-tricks in T20 Internationals:
– Brett Lee achieved a hat-trick against Bangladesh in Cape Town in 2007.
– Ashton Agar accomplished a hat-trick against South Africa in Johannesburg in 2020.
– Nathan Ellis secured a hat-trick against Bangladesh in Mirpur in 2021.
– Most recently, Pat Cummins achieved a hat-trick against Bangladesh in Antigua in 2024.
Looking ahead, Bangladesh faces Rohit Sharma’s Indian team in their next match at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua on Saturday, June 22. A loss in this crucial match could nearly eliminate Bangladesh from the tournament.
