A hat-trick is when a bowler takes three wickets in consecutive deliveries. So here, let’s look at the list of hat-tricks wickets taken by fast bowlers in test cricket. The hat-trick wicket has been achieved only 46 times by 42 different bowlers in the history of the test cricket, i.e., more than two thousand test matches. Undoubtedly, a hat-trick wicket is tough to take in any format of cricket, but the stakes are even higher in the test format of cricket – the most prolonged match duration (Five days duration).
List of hat-tricks wickets taken by fast bowlers in test cricket
The first hat-trick was recorded on January 02nd-1879. It was achieved by the Australian pace bowler Fred Spofforth against England, in only the third test match at Melbourne Cricket Ground, England. He dismissed Vernon Royle, Francis Mackinnon, and Tom Emmett with three consecutive deliveries. South Africa’s spin bowler Keshav Maharaj took the most recent hat-trick against the West Indies in June-2021 at Daren Sammy Cricket Ground in Gros Islet, Saint Lucia.
takes three consecutive wickets
| S.NO. | Bowler Name | Team | Opponent | Dismissals | Venue | Year |
| 1. | Fred Spofforth | Australia | England | Vernon Royle,Francis Mackinnon,Tom Emmett | Melbourne | 02-Jan-1879 |
| 2. | William or Billy Bates | England | Australia | Percy McDonnell,George Giffen,George Bonnor | Melbourne | 20-Jan-1883 |
| 3. | Johnny Briggs | England | Australia | Walter Giffen,Jack Blackham,Sydney Callaway | Sydney | 02-Feb-1892 |
| 4. | George Lohmann | England | South Africa | Fredrick Cook,Bonor Middleton,Joseph Willoughby | Port Elizabeth | 14-Feb-1896 |
| 5. | Jack Hearne | England | Australia | Clem Hill,Syd Gregory,Mont Noble | Leeds | 30-June-1899 |
| 6. | Hugh Trumble | Australia | England | John Gunn,Arthur Jones,Sydney Barnes | Melbourne | 04-Jan-1902 |
| 7. | Hugh Trumble | Australia | England | Bernard Bosanquet,Plum Warner,Dick Lilley | Melbourne | 08-March-1904 |
| 8. | Jimmy Matthews | Australia | South Africa | First Innings: Rolland Beaumont,Sig Pegler,Tommy Ward Second Innings: Herbie Taylor,Reggie Schwarz,Tommy Ward | Manchester | 28-May-1912 |
| 9. | Maurice Allom | England | New Zealand | Tom Lowry,Ken James,Ted Badcock | Christchurch | 10-Jan-1930 |
| 10. | Tom Goddard | England | South Africa | Dudley Nourse,Norman Gordon,Billy Wade | Johannesburg | 26-Dec-1938 |
Which bowler has taken most hat tricks in test cricket?
Claiming a hat-trick is a rare sight in any format of cricket. In such situations, picking up more than one hat-trick requires exceptional bowling, and it is too rare to pick up a hat-trick in the test format of cricket. In cricket history, there are only four bowlers who have taken a hat-trick more than once, that too in test cricket.
Below is the list of four bowlers who have taken the most hat-tricks wicket in test cricket.
- Hugh Trumble
- Thomas Jimmy Matthews
- Wasim Akram
- Stuart Broad
1. Hugh Trumble:
Hugh Trumble was an Australian cricketer who played 32 test matches from 1890 to 1904. He was a bowling all-rounder and captained the Australian team in two test matches, winning them both. Hugh Trumble took 141 test wickets at an average of 21.78 runs per wicket, and it was a world record at the time of his retirement. He delivered the ball at a quick pace compared to other spin bowlers.
He took a hat-trick wicket taken against England in 1902 and 1904 in Melbourne, and he became the first hat-tricks wicket taken by fast bowlers in the history of cricket. He picked a hat-trick twice against the same opponent. In 1902, he dismissed three England batsmen, namely John Gunn, Arthur Jones, and Sydney Barnes, and in 1904, three England batsmen, Bernard Bosanquet, Plum Warner, and Dick Lilley, with three consecutive deliveries. He is regarded as one of the greatest Australian bowlers of the golden age of cricket. He died on August 14th-1938 (aged 71).
2. Thomas Jimmy Matthews:
Thomas James Matthews or Jimmy Matthews was an Australian test cricketer in 1912. He was a right-handed batsman and leg-break bowler. He played only 8 test matches for their team. He took 16 test wickets at an average of 26.18. He is famed for being the only player to take two hat-tricks in the exact test match. He became the second hat-tricks wicket-taken bowler in the history of cricket.
In the opening test match of the Triangular tournament-1912, Australia played against South Africa in Old Trafford. He took a hat-tricks wicket in each innings of that exact test match. On May 28th-1912, he took his first hat-trick wicket by dismissing Rolland Beaumont, Sig Pegler, and Tommy Ward as the last three wickets in South Africa’s first innings of the test match prevent them from avoiding the follow on. Later the same day, he took a second hat-tricks wicket by dismissing Herbie Taylor, Reggie Schwarz, and Tommy Ward in the second innings of the exact test match. He didn’t take any other wickets in the test match, but he took nine further in the Test series against South Africa. He died on October 14th-1943 (aged 59).
3. Wasim Akram
Wasim Akram is a former Pakistani cricketer and captain from 1984 to 2003. He is a left-handed batsman and left-arm fast bowler. Wasim Akram played 104 test matches for their team, and he took 414 test wickets at an average of 23.62. He is currently the highest wicket-taker for the Pakistan team in test cricket. He is regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time and the greatest left-arm fast bowler in cricket history. He became the third hat-tricks wicket-taken fast bowler in the history of cricket.
In Asian Test Championship-1999, Pakistan played against Sri Lanka in Lahore. He picked up his first hat-tricks wicket against Sri Lanka, the third test match of the test series. He dismissed three Sri Lankan cricketers, Romesh Kaluwitharana, Niroshan Bandaratilleke, and Pramodya Wickramasinghe. He also took his second hat-tricks wicket against the same opponent in Dhaka in the final test match of the same test series. He dismissed three Sri Lankan players, Avishka Gunawardene, Chaminda Vaas, and Mahela Jayawardene, on the second hat-tricks wicket.
4. Stuart Broad
Stuart Broad is an English cricketer who has played test cricket for the England cricket team since 2006. He is a former captain of ODI and T20I matches. He is a left-handed batsman and right-arm fast-medium bowler. He played 152 test matches for their team and picked up 537 test wickets at an average of 27.80. He became the fourth hat-tricks wicket-taken fast bowler in the history of cricket.
On July 30th-2011, he took his first hat-trick against India in Nottingham. His best figures of 6 wickets for 46 runs in that test match. He dismissed three Indian cricketers, MS Dhoni, Harbhajan Singh, and Praveen Kumar. In 2014, he took his second hat-trick wicket against Sri Lanka in Leeds. He dismissed three Sri Lankan cricketers, KC Sangakkara, LD Chandimal, and RMS Eranga. Currently, he is the second-highest wicket-taker for the England team in test cricket.
First Indian hat-trick in test cricket
Harbhajan Singh is the first Indian hat-tricks wickets taken bowler in test cricket. He is a former Indian cricketer and cricket commentator who played for the Indian national cricket team from 1998 to 2016. He is a right-handed batsman and right-arm off-spin bowler, a specialist spin bowler. In the 2001-2002 test series, India played against Australia. On March 11th-2001, he took his first hat-tricks wicket in test cricket in the second test match at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Harbhajan Singh dismissed three Australian cricketers, Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist, and Shane Warne. He ended up with 13 wickets in the Test series, and India won the test match by 171 runs.
Top 5 hat-tricks in Indian test cricket
Only three Indian bowlers, including Harbhajan Singh, Irfan Pathan, and Jasprit Bumrah, have taken hat-tricks in the most extended format of cricket.
Below is the list of the top 3 hat-tricks wicket taken bowlers in Indian test cricket.
| S.NO. | Indian Bowler Name | Opponent | Dismissals | Venue | Year |
| 1. | Harbhajan Singh | Australia | Ricky Ponting,Adam Gilchrist,Shane Warne | Kolkata | 2001 |
| 2. | Irfan Pathan | Pakistan | Salman Butt,Younis Khan,Mohammad Yousuf | Karachi | 2005-2006 |
| 3. | Jasprit Bumrah | West Indies | Dwayne Bravo,Sharmarh Brooks,Roston Chase | Kingston | 2019 |
Which Indian bowler takes a hat-trick in Test cricket vs. Pakistan?
Indian pacer Irfan Pathan takes a hat-trick in test cricket against Pakistan. He is the only bowler who took a hat-trick wicket in the first over of a test match against Pakistan in 2006 at Karachi. He is a former Indian cricketer and bowling all-rounder of the Indian national cricket team.
List of hat-trick wicket taken players in India
In the above table, we discussed the list of top 3 hat-trick wickets taken by Indian bowlers in the test format of cricket. Here, we will see a list of the hat-trick wicket taken by Indian bowlers in the ODI format of cricket. In the ODI format, only five players from India took a hat-trick wicket.
| S.NO. | Indian Bowler Name | Opponent | Dismissals | Venue | Year |
| 1. | Chetan Sharma | New Zealand | Ken Rutherford, Ian Smith, Ewen Chatfield | Nagpur | 31-Oct-1987 |
| 2. | Kapil Dev | Sri Lanka | Roshan Mahanama,Rumesh Ratnayake,Sanath Jayasuriya | Kolkata | 04-Jan-1991 |
| 3. | Kuldeep Yadav | Australia | Matthew Wade,Aston Agar,Pat Cummins | Kolkata | 21-Sep-2017 |
| 4. | Mohammed Shami | Afghanistan | Mohammad NabiAftab AlamMujeeb Ur Rahman | Southampton | 22-June-2019 |
| 5. | Kuldeep Yadav | West Indies | Shai HopeJason HolderAlzarri Joseph | Visakhapatnam | 18-Dec-2019 |
Conclusion
We hope that the above article will help you find the list of hat-tricks wicket-taken fast bowlers in test cricket. And also discussed the most hat-tricks taken in test cricket, which first Indian hat-trick in test cricket, the top 3 hat-trick wicket bowlers in test cricket, which Indian bowler took a hat-trick against Pakistan in the test match, and a list of hat-trick wickets taken players in India. So do look at the above article, about the list of hat-tricks wicket taken fast bowlers in test formats of cricket.
