Lasith Malinga Secured Hat-Trick Of Hat-Tricks On This Day In 2011

Lasith Malinga celebrating his third ODI hat-trick (x.com)Lasith Malinga celebrating his third ODI hat-trick (x.com)

Legendary Sri Lankan paceman Lasith Malinga holds a stellar limited-overs record in international cricket. The slinging fast bowler retired with a staggering haul of 546 wickets, including 338 in ODIs alone.

Malinga’s playing profile also includes a world record tally of five hat-tricks, which even surpasses that of Wasim Akram. He secured three of those in ODIs and another two in T20I cricket. 

Interestingly, Malinga’s three ODI hat-tricks marks the highest among all bowlers in fifty-overs internationals. Here at OneCricket, we take a look back at the time when he snared his third ODI hat-trick by dismantling Australia’s lower-order in Colombo.

Lasith Malinga Still The Only Player With Three ODI hat-tricks

Lasith Malinga attained a huge world record by claiming a sensational double hat-trick against South Africa at the 2007 World Cup. The Sri Lankan speedster snared four wickets in succession to achieve the feat. Four years later during the 2011 World Cup, Malinga claimed another hat-trick, this time against Kenya in Colombo.

Later that same year on August 22, Lasith Malinga dismissed Mitchell Johnson, John Hastings and Xavier Doherty in succession at Colombo to collect his third ODI hat-trick, becoming the first cricketer in history to do so. 

His spell helped Sri Lanka demolish Australia for just 211, before batters Mahela Jayawardene and Chamara Silva secured a four-wicket win for the hosts with three overs to spare.

Remarkably, Lasith Malinga snared two more hat-tricks in international cricket, albeit in T20Is, up until his Sri Lankan playing retirement. 

As of now, Malinga remains the only ODI bowler with three hat-tricks to his name, the only bowler in history with five hat-tricks across all formats, the only bowler with two double hat-tricks and the only bowler with two ODI World Cup hat-tricks.