World Cup hat-tricks: South Africa's JP Duminy joins exclusive club

JP Duminy may be the unlikeliest man to have taken a World Cup hat-trick but he certainly wasn’t the first.

The South African spinner became the eighth player to achieve the feat when he collected the wickets of Angelo Mathews, Nuwan Kulasekara and Tharindu Kaushal in South Africa’s quarter-final win over Sri Lanka in Sydney.

So, who are the others and which subcontinental sensation has taken TWO World Cup hat-tricks? Read on to find out…

Chetan Sharma (India), 1987

The diminutive Sharma, who managed to bowl with much venom despite standing just 5ft 3in tall, became the first member of an exclusive club during the fourth World Cup and first to be held outside England. The right-armer castled New Zealand’s Ken Rutherford (26) before giving Ian Smith and tail-ender Ewen Chatfield the same treatment, removing both for golden ducks. Sharma’s exploits allowed India to bowl the Black Caps out for 221 in their Group A encounter and tee up a nine-wicket win, with Sunil Gavaskar scoring a century. It was Gavaskar’s words that were vital earlier in the day, though, with Sharma insisting that encouragement from his iconic team-mate and Kapil Dev helped him to be so devastating with the ball.

Saqlain Mushtaq, (Pakistan), 1999

Surrey and Sussex alumnus Saqlain remains the only spinner to pocket a World Cup hat-trick, doing so against Zimbabwe at The Oval in a Super Six showdown. The Flower brothers weren’t among Saqlain’s victims – Andy (4) and Grant (2) fell cheaply early on to Abdul Razzaq and Shoaib Akhtar respectively – with the Pakistani twirler instead polishing off Zimbabwe’s innings for 123 by accounting for Henry Olonga and Adam Huckle (stumped by Moin Khan) and Pommie Mbangwa (lbw). Saqlain’s spin rubberstamped a 148-run win for his team and the Lahore-born player ended the tournament with 17 wickets, including that of Adam Gilchrist in the final, as Pakistan finished runner-up to Australia.

Brett Lee (Australia) and Chaminda Vaas (Sri Lanka), 2003

One hat-trick would not suffice in the African World Cup, with two of the game’s premier pacemen, Lee and Vaas - Warnakulasuriya Patabendige Ushantha Joseph Chaminda Vaas to give him his full name – getting fans out of their seats twice. Lee’s feat came when Australia met surprise Super Six qualifiers Kenya on March 15, the Australia quick cleaning up Kennedy Otieno and David Obuya either side of having Brijal Patel pouched by Ricky Ponting. Sri Lankan lefty Vaas, meanwhile, destroyed Bangladesh’s top order a month earlier, disposing of Hannan Sarkar, Mohammad Ashraful and Ehsanul Haque with the first three balls of the match and ending his initial over with figures of 4-5 after also knocking over Sanwar Hossain.

Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka), 2007 and 2011

So, that was four wickets in an over for Vaas, but his countryman went ever better in 2007, nabbing four wickets in four balls! With South Africa needing four runs to win in Guyana with five wickets in hand they were on easy street – until Malinga sent Shaun Pollock, Andrew Hall, Jacques Kallis and Makhaya Ntini packing with a staggering spell of slinged-in seam. The Proteas got over the line by one wicket but Malinga was the real story at the end of the encounter and not for the last time in the World Cups either, with the funky-haired paceman securing a hat-trick four years later against Kenya, Tanmay Mishra, Peter Ongondo and Shem Ngoche the victims on that occasion. Malinga wasn't done, though, and dismissed Elijah Otieno two balls later.

Kemar Roach (West Indies), 2011

Roach proved to be the Dutch Destroyer in Delhi in 2011 when he removed Netherlands’ Pieter Seelaar, Bernard Loots and Berend Westdijk in successive deliveries. Seelaar and Loots were trapped plum in front lbw, while Westdijk had his middle stump smashed as the associate nation were bowled out for 115 to lose by 215 runs. Roach said his intention was to bowl straight and fast on a slow pitch and, boy, did he deliver. He couldn’t dismiss Tommy Cooper, though, with the Dutch batter, who has penned a deal with Somerset for the 2015 season, scoring an unbeaten 55. How did he do it? “Just like that,” I presume…

Steve Finn (England), 2015

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There may be no such thing as a bad hat-trick but if there is then Finn took it in England’s 2015 opener with Australia at the MCG. The lofty Middlesex man had Brad Haddin, Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell Johnson caught from the final three balls of the Baggy Greens’ innings. It was just a shame for England that the co-hosts had smoked 342 runs by that point – Finn going for a whopping 71 of them – thanks mainly to Aaron Finch, the swashbuckling opener scoring 135 after being dropped on nought by Chris Woakes. Doh! You get the feeling it won’t be a “one to tell the grandchildren” scenario for Finn, who will most probably want to forget the 2015 World Cup, not just because of England’s early exit but also because of the absolute smashing he received off Brendon McCullum…