Pat Cummins claimed his second hat-trick in three days, as Australia faced Afghanistan in the T20 World Cup 2024 Super Eight, to become the fifth bowler to have two in men's T20Is - and he remembered he was on one this time.
After claiming a hat-trick against Bangladesh in Antigua, he repeated the feat across his last two overs in St Vincent. With the last ball of the 18th over, he had Rashid Khan caught at long on, then with the first ball of the 20th removed Karim Janat the same way before Gulbadin Naib hoicked to deep midwicket amid Afghanistan's last push for runs.
"Yeah, remembered this one," Cummins told the broadcaster between innings, in reference to him forgetting he was on a hat-trick against Bangladesh. "Crazy to get two in a row after playing 100 plus games for Australia."
He could have had four wickets in four balls - a feat achieved by Ireland's Curtis Campher during the 2021 T20 World Cup - but David Warner missed a chance at deep square when Nangeyalia Kharote swung to the leg side.
Cummins joined Lasith Malinga, Tim Southee, Serbia's Mark Pavlovic, Malta's Waseem Abbas as having two T20I hat-tricks. On the question of the short time between them, Pavlovic took his on consecutive days in 2023, although had played three matches in that time.
Cummins became the second player to take a hat-trick in consecutive international matches after Wasim Akram who did it in consecutive Tests against Sri Lanka in March 1999. Jimmy Matthews had hat-tricks in each innings of a Test match against South Africa in 1912 with both coming on the same day.