The ICC T20 World Cup 2026 has seen its first major bowling milestone just as the tournament gets underway. West Indies seamer Romario Shepherd etched his name into the record books on 7 February, claiming a sensational hat-trick against Scotland. Shepherd’s feat marks the 10th hat-trick in the history of the tournament, continuing a modern trend where these rare occurrences have become increasingly frequent. ICC T20 World Cup 2026 Full Schedule, Free PDF Download Online.

The Evolution of the Hat-Trick

For over a decade, the T20 World Cup hat-trick was considered one of the rarest sights in cricket. Following Brett Lee’s inaugural hat-trick against Bangladesh in 2007, the tournament went 14 years without another.

However, the floodgates opened during the 2021 edition in the UAE, which saw three separate hat-tricks. This momentum carried through to 2024, where Australia’s Pat Cummins made history as the first player to record hat-tricks in back-to-back matches, achieving the feat against Bangladesh and Afghanistan within just three days. Where to Watch ICC T20 World Cup 2026 Live Streaming Online and on TV.

T20I World Cup Hat-Tricks

Player Team Opposition Edition Venue
Brett Lee Australia Bangladesh 2007 Cape Town
Curtis Campher Ireland Netherlands 2021 Abu Dhabi
Wanindu Hasaranga Sri Lanka South Africa 2021 Sharjah
Kagiso Rabada South Africa England 2021 Sharjah
Karthik Meiyappan UAE Sri Lanka 2022 Geelong
Joshua Little Ireland New Zealand 2022 Adelaide
Pat Cummins Australia Bangladesh 2024 Antigua
Pat Cummins Australia Afghanistan 2024 St Vincent
Chris Jordan England USA 2024 Barbados
Romario Shepherd West Indies Scotland 2026 Kolkata

Notable Milestones

  • The First: Brett Lee (Australia) vs Bangladesh, 2007.

  • The Four-in-Four: Ireland’s Curtis Campher is the only player to take four wickets in four consecutive balls in a T20 World Cup, achieved against the Netherlands in 2021.

  • The Associate Hero: Karthik Meiyappan of the UAE became the first player from an Associate nation to take a hat-trick against a Full Member (Sri Lanka) in 2022.

  • The Specialist: Pat Cummins remains the only bowler with two T20 World Cup hat-tricks to his name.

    During the Group C clash in Kolkata, Shepherd dismantled the Scottish lower order in the 17th over. By dismissing Matthew Cross, Michael Leask, and Oliver Davidson in consecutive deliveries, he became the first West Indian to achieve the feat in a T20 World Cup. He eventually finished with a five-wicket haul, after taking four wickets in that single over to secure a dominant victory for the co-hosts.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 07, 2026 06:58 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).