A hat-trick in cricket is achieved when a bowler dismisses three different batsmen in three successive deliveries. Undoubtedly, a hat-trick is tough to take in any format, but the stakes are even higher in Test cricket, the longest format of the game.
The rarity of this feat is clear: across over 145 years of Test cricket history, only around 49 hat-tricks have been taken by approximately 45 different bowlers across nations. Australian pacer Fred Spofforth was the first bowler to record a Test hat-trick on January 2, 1879, in only the third Test match ever.
Out of all the bowlers who’ve managed to take a Test hat-trick, only four have actually done it twice, securing their places among the select few with the most Test hat-tricks.
The four legendary bowlers who have taken multiple (2) Test hat-tricks are:
| Bowler | Hat-trick No. | Match Innings | Full Dismissals | Team Result |
| Hugh Trumble (Australia) | 1st (4 Jan 1902) | England, 2nd Innings | John Gunn (c S. Jones), Arthur Jones (c J. Darling), Sydney Barnes (c & b) | Australia won by 229 runs |
| Hugh Trumble (Australia) | 2nd (8 Mar 1904) | England, 2nd Innings | Bernard Bosanquet (c A. Gehrs), Plum Warner (c & b), Dick Lilley (lbw) | Australia won by 218 runs |
| Jimmy Matthews (Australia) | 1st (28 May 1912) | South Africa, 1st Innings | Rolland Beaumont (b), Sid Pegler (lbw), Tommy Ward (lbw) | Australia won by an innings and 88 runs |
| Jimmy Matthews (Australia) | 2nd (28 May 1912) | South Africa, 2nd Innings (Follow-on) | Herbie Taylor (b), Reggie Schwarz (c & b), Tommy Ward (c & b) | Australia won by an innings and 88 runs |
| Wasim Akram (Pakistan) | 1st (6 Mar 1999) | Sri Lanka, 1st Innings | Romesh Kaluwitharana (c Moin Khan), Niroshan Bandaratilleke (b), Pramodya Wickramasinghe (b) | Match Drawn |
| Wasim Akram (Pakistan) | 2nd (14 Mar 1999) | Sri Lanka, 2nd Innings | Avishka Gunawardene (c Wajahatullah Wasti), Chaminda Vaas (c Wajahatullah Wasti), Mahela Jayawardene (lbw) | Pakistan won by an innings and 175 runs |
| Stuart Broad (England) | 1st (30 Jul 2011) | India, 1st Innings | Mahendra Singh Dhoni (c J. Anderson), Harbhajan Singh (lbw), Praveen Kumar (b) | England won by 319 runs |
| Stuart Broad (England) | 2nd (20 Jun 2014) | Sri Lanka, 1st Innings | Kumar Sangakkara (c I. Bell), Dinesh Chandimal (c A. Cook), Shaminda Eranga (c M. Prior) | England lost by 100 runs |
Key Insights: Historic Test Cricket Hat-Trick Records
Bowlers with Multiple Test Hat-Tricks
Jimmy Matthews (Australia) holds the unique Test record as the only player to take two hat-tricks in the same Test match. He achieved this remarkable feat against South Africa, with one hat-trick in their first innings and another in their second innings, both on 28 May 1912.
Hugh Trumble‘s two career hat-tricks were distinct, as they were both taken against the same opponent (England) in 1902 and 1904, respectively.
Wasim Akram secured his two hat-tricks in rapid succession, coming in consecutive Test matches against Sri Lanka, just over a week apart.
Stuart Broad is one of the four multiple hat-trick takers, achieving his two feats against India (2011) and Sri Lanka (2014).
First-Over Hat-Trick & All-Rounder Feats
Irfan Pathan (India) is the only bowler to have taken a hat-trick in the first over of a Test match, doing so against arch-rivals Pakistan in 2006.
Bangladeshi off-spinner Sohag Gazi is the only player in Test history to achieve a hat-trick and score a century in the same Test match, solidifying his position as a unique all-rounder.
Rare Three-Overs and Two-Innings Hat-Tricks
Merv Hughes (Australia) completed an extraordinary hat-trick that was spread across three different overs and two different innings. He dismissed the final two batsmen of the West Indies’ first innings and then the first batsman of their second innings.
Courtney Walsh and Jermaine Lawson are the other two bowlers whose hat-tricks similarly spanned both innings of a Test match for completion.
Fielding-Independent Wickets and Venue Record
Four bowlers—Jimmy Matthews (for both his hat-tricks), Dominic Cork, Mohammed Sami, and Jermaine Lawson—all achieved their hat-tricks without fielding assistance, meaning all three wickets were either ‘bowled’ or ‘lbw’ dismissals.
Five Test hat-tricks have been recorded at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), which is the most number of hat-tricks at a single venue globally.
