Coming into the game against India, Cummins has taken hat-tricks in back-to-back matches in the tournament, which gives him a unique opportunity to complete a hat-trick of hat-tricks in international cricket and become the first ever bowler to do so.
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Cummins, who captains Australia in ODIs and Tests, is the only bowler to take two hat-tricks in T20 World Cups and the first to do so in consecutive matches. He led Australia to winning the World Test Championship and the ODI World Cup last year, beating India in the final on both the occasions.
In Australia’s ‘Super 8s’ match against Afghanistan, Cummins dismissed Rashid Khan off the final ball of his third over and then came back to remove Karim Janat and Gulbadin Naib off the first two balls of his final over.
However, Australia went on to lose against Afghanistan, which is their first defeat ever against the Asian entertainers.
Interestingly, it was the same sequence in which he claimed a hat-trick in Australia’s victory in the first match of the ‘Super 8s’ stage against Bangladesh.
He first dismissed veteran Bangladesh allrounder Mahmudullah off the last ball of the 18th over and then got rid of Mahedi Hasan and Towhid Hridoy off the first two deliveries of the last over of his spell and Bangladesh innings to become only the second Australian bowler to take a hat-trick in the T20 World Cups.
Brett Lee was the first Australian to achieve the feat in the inaugural 2007 edition of the T20 World Cup against Bangladesh.