Pakistan teenage pacer Mohammad Hasnain became the youngest bowler in the world to attain a T20I hat-trick after picking up three wickets in as many balls in his side’s clash against Sri Lanka at Lahore.
The 19-year-old achieved the feat in two separate overs on Saturday at the Gaddadi stadium with the successive dismissals of Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Sri Lanka kipper Dasun Shanaka and Shehan Jayasuirya.
The young fast-bowler was expensive in his first over of the day which leaked 12 runs but he came back strongly in the latter half of the Sri Lanka innings before achieving his hat-trick. His dismissal of Rajapaksa through a pin-point perfect yorker was reminiscent of a certain Waqar Younis with the youngster justifying his selection in the playing XI in some style.
Hasnain become the ninth bowler overall to claim a T20I hat-trick and the second from Pakistan after Faheem Ashraf performed the feat against Sri Lanka at Abu Dhabi in 2017.
Bhanuka Rajapaksa, 15.6 lbw ☝️🏼
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) October 5, 2019
Dasun Shanaka 18.1 ☝️🏼
Shehan Jayasuriya, 18.2 🎩
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, meet the new hat-trick hero of Pakistan, @MHasnainPak ⚡️#PAKvSL LIVE ▶️ https://t.co/CpcfbLfNGM | @TheRealPCB_Live pic.twitter.com/NhjIG0DKa1
Mohammad Hasnain at 19 years and 183 days is the second youngest bowler to take a hat-trick in men's international cricket (Tests, ODIs, T20Is) after Aaqib Javed who was 19y and 81d vs India in Sharjah in 1991. #PakvSL
— Mazher Arshad (@MazherArshad) October 5, 2019
Hasnain’s remarkable achievement came in only his second T20I appearance for Pakistan following his international debut against Australia in an ODI in March this year. He is the third bowler to claim a T20I hat-trick in 2019 with Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan and Sri Lanka’s Lasith Malinga previously attaining the feat.
The Quetta Gladiators pacer had turned heads with his displays and raw pace in the 2019 edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) before earning his maiden senior Pakistan call-up. He was included in Pakistan’s squad for the 2019 World Cup in England too but failed to get a single game.
Hasnain had been a part of the Pakistan squad in their recent ODI series against Sri Lanka at Karachi as well but he was not picked in the playing XI for any of the three clashes. Having finished with overall figures of 3-37 in his four overs against Sri Lanka on Saturday, the youngster will most certainly have impressed Pakistan’s new head coach and chief selector Misbah-ul-Haq.
