On This Day - The First Hat-Trick Takes Place In Twenty20 Internationals

September 16, 2007 had something special in store for cricket and Brett Lee would provide it. The year 2007 witnessed the birth of a new World Cup for a new format. Before this tournament, there were 22 matches played in Twenty20 Internationals, a new format which was started in 2005 during the match between Australia and New Zealand. Looking at the popularity of the format, the International Cricket Council (ICC) decided to start the new World T20 in 2007. The venue was South Africa and all the top teams were venturing into the unknown. Australia started their tournament poorly when they were upset by Zimbabwe in Cape Town while they bounced back with a win against England. 

Bangladesh started the tournament brilliantly with a win over the West Indies but lost to South Africa. Both teams qualified for the super-six stage, with Bangladesh taking on Australia at Newlands. Australia won the toss and chose to bowl with Tamim Iqbal and Nazimuddin opening the batting.

Tamim and Nazimuddin started confidently with a four each off Brett Lee in the third over. The duo stitched a 40-run opening stand before Mitchell Johnson sent back Nazimuddin for 11. Following the end of the powerplay, Andrew Symonds and Michael Clarke built the pressure and Tamim was sent back by Clarke for 32. Stuart Clark got the wicket of Mohammad Ashraful as Bangladesh struggled. 
Shakib Al Hasan got going with a six and a four off Clarke but in the 17th over, Lee returned and he created history. After Aftab Ahmed hit a four first ball, Shakib was on strike for the third ball. Looking to be aggressive, Shakib made room but Lee bowled a short of a length ball and the batsman edged it to Adam Gilchrist. Next ball, Mashrafe Mortaza made room and looked to find a scoring opportunity on the off side but Lee fired the yorker and he was cleaned up.

Lee created history the next ball when he trapped Alok Kapali in front to become the first bowler to take a hat-trick in Twenty20 Internationals. Bangladesh never recovered from Lee's hat-trick and even Nathan Bracken had a chance to take a hat-trick in the final over but he missed it and Bangladesh finished on 123/8 with Lee finishing with 3/27 from four overs. In response, Adam Gilchrist blasted 43 off 28 balls which included four sixes but Matthew Hayden showed his class with a blazing, unbeaten 73 off 48 balls as Australia romped home to a nine-wicket win. 

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Following Lee's hat-trick, there have been seven instances of a hat-trick in Twenty20 Internationals. Jacob Oram achieved the second hat-trick in the game against Sri Lanka in 2009 at Colombo while Tim Southee took 5/18, including a hat-trick in the game against Pakistan in Auckland in 2010/11. After a four-year lull, Thisara Perera took a hat-trick against India in Ranchi in 2015 while Lasith Malinga took his first hat-trick against Bangladesh in Colombo in 2016/17.

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Faheen Ashraf became the first Pakistan bowler to take a hat-trick during the clash against Sri Lanka in Abu Dhabi while the next two hat-tricks were special. Rashid Khan of Afghanistan was the first to take four wickets in four balls during the game in 2018/19 against Ireland in Dehradun while Malinga created history by becoming the first player to take two hat-tricks in T20Is.

In the game against New Zealand in Pallekele, Malinga took four wickets in four balls and he became the first player to achieve this feat twice, having done it in 2007 against South Africa in the ODI World Cup in Guyana. However, for Lee, he will always be the owner of the first hat-trick in this format. RELATED