Fast bowler Pat Cummins Achieves hat-trick at a T20 World Cup as Australia started their Super Eight campaign with a rain-affected 28-run victory over Bangladesh on Thursday. Cummins, who finished with figures of 3-29, did not initially realize he had matched Brett Lee’s achievement during the win.
Cummins’s three-wicket burst, along with fellow quick Josh Hazlewood after their rest against Scotland, helped restrict Bangladesh to 140 for eight. Rain then curtailed Australia’s chase after David Warner smashed an unbeaten half-century.
Pat Cummins bowled Mahmudullah for two, had Mahedi Hasan caught for a duck by Adam Zampa at deep third man, and then dismissed Towhid Hridoy for 40 when the batsman scooped to Hazlewood. His hat-trick celebration was notably subdued.
“I had no idea… I totally forgot about it,” Cummins said of his first hat-trick for Australia and the first at this tournament. “Ashton Agar and Nathan Ellis were both on the bench today. They’ve got a hat-trick, so I joined their club. It’s a good club to be a part of.”
While two of Cummins’s teammates have also claimed hat-tricks, only former bowler Brett Lee has done so at a T20 World Cup. Cummins finished with three for 29 from his four overs while spinner Zampa took two for 24 to slow Bangladesh in the middle overs.
Australia Tops Group 1 After Rain-Hit Win Over Bangladesh in T20 World Cup
The Duckworth-Lewis method secured Australia’s victory. Australia reached 100 for two after 11.2 overs before the match was abandoned, with Warner unbeaten on 53 and Glenn Maxwell 14 not out at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.
Australia’s win put them top of Group 1, ahead of India thanks to a slightly superior net run-rate. Bangladesh are fourth in the group behind Afghanistan, who lost their first Super Eight match to India. The top two sides at the end of the phase qualify for the semi-finals.
Australia captain Mitchell Marsh had declared himself fit to bowl on the eve of the match after recovering from a hamstring strain but left the spare overs to Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis. His poor form with the bat continued, with Marsh dismissed lbw for one by Rishad Hossain, who took both Australian wickets, also bowling Travis Head for 31.
Australia won the toss and elected to field on a slow wicket, enjoying an instant payoff when left-arm paceman Mitchell Starc took a wicket with the third ball. Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto made a steady 41 to help set his team up for a competitive total but Zampa trapped him lbw in the 13th over and Bangladesh were unable to cut loose thereafter.
“Wicket looked good, little slow, but we should’ve scored 170, I felt,” Shanto said. “Very important today that the top order got some runs. We struggled last couple of matches.”
Bangladesh meets India at the same venue on Saturday, with Australia to face Afghanistan in Kingstown.
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