Australia's captain Pat Cummins delivered one of the most memorable hat-tricks in World Cup history — cleaning up three Afghan batsmen in consecutive balls at Wankhede Stadium, including two with unplayable toe-crushing yorkers.
October 24, 2023. Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. Australia vs Afghanistan in the 2023 ODI World Cup group stage. Pat Cummins — Australia's captain and strike fast bowler — produced a moment that will feature in World Cup highlight compilations for decades.
Afghanistan, batting in the middle overs, had been building a challenging total. Cummins came in to bowl and delivered something extraordinary. The first ball — a back-of-length delivery — took the edge. Second ball — a full yorker, slamming into the base of the stumps, completely unplayable. Third ball — another yorker, equally precise, another set of stumps demolished.
Three balls. Three wickets. A hat-trick. The Wankhede crowd — even as an overwhelmingly Indian audience — erupted. Hat-tricks at any level of cricket are rare; World Cup hat-tricks are rarer still. A captain taking a World Cup hat-trick at 145km/h with yorkers was something nobody had seen before.
Cummins' celebration was his most expressive moment of the tournament — arms out, shouting to the sky, teammates mobbing him. The calm, collected Australia captain who had managed everything with quiet authority had produced a moment of pure fast bowling theatre.
The hat-trick was arguably the most technically impressive individual bowling moment of the entire 2023 World Cup — two consecutive perfect yorkers at maximum pace, in a packed stadium, in a knockout-stage climate, requiring absolute mental clarity to execute.
Cummins comes on to bowl in the middle overs — Afghanistan building total
First ball: back-of-length delivery takes the edge — caught behind
Second ball: full yorker, 146km/h — stumps demolished, completely unplayable
Third ball: another yorker, same result — hat-trick complete
Cummins' most animated celebration of the entire tournament
“Hat-tricks are one of those things you don't really think about when you're bowling. The first wicket fell and you just focus on the next ball. Then it happens and you realise what you've done.”
“Two perfect yorkers on the bounce to complete a hat-trick in a World Cup — I think that's pretty much the best thing a fast bowler can produce. It was outstanding.”
Pat Cummins took the hat-trick ball. Australia won the match comfortably. The hat-trick contributed to Cummins being recognised as one of the World Cup's standout performers.
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