During Australia’s first T20I in 2020, the 26-year-old left-arm spinner Ashton Agar registered his name to the history book after claiming a hat-trick.
It was the first game of the three-match T20I series between the hosts South Africa and the visitors Australia at Johannesburg. After winning the toss, the hosts decided to field first. While the visitors managed to score 196/6 (20 overs) in the first innings, the Proteas side were bundled out for just 89 runs (14.3 overs). Winning the match by 107 runs, Australia have taken the 1-0 lead in this three-match T20I series.
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While South Africa were under pressure from the beginning of their innings, Ashton Agar claimed his T20I hat-trick during the eighth over of that innings. To claim that hat-trick, Agar dismissed Faf du Plessis (24), Andile Phehlukwayo (0) and Dale Steyn (0) in the last three successive deliveries of that over. While Faf was caught by Kane Richardson at the deep extra cover, Phehlukwayo failed to survive from the lbw dismissal despite taking the review, and Steyn was caught by Aaron Finch at slip. After that over, South Africa were struggling on 44/7.
Here are some crucial stats of that T20I hat-trick
- Ashton Agar became the first left-arm bowler to claim a T20I hat-trick.
- Ashton Agar became the second Australian bowler to claim a T20I hat-trick. The right-arm pacer Brett Lee was the first Aussie bowler to take a T20I hat-trick (against Bangladesh at Cape Town on 16th September 2007). In fact, Lee was the first bowler to claim a hat-trick in T20I history.
- It was the second hat-trick in international cricket in 2020. First one in this list was the Test hat-trick by the 16-year-old Pakistan fast-bowler Naseem Shah (against Bangladesh at Rawalpindi on 9th February 2020).
- Ashton Agar became the third spinner to claim a T20I hat-trick. The first two spinners in this list are Rashid Khan (Afghanistan) and Khawar Ali (Oman).
- It was the 13th hat-trick in T20I history.
Ashton Agar also achieved the best T20I bowling figures for Australia
Ashton Agar finished the game with the bowling figures of 4-0-24-5. It was the best bowling figures by an Australian bowler in T20I history.
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The previous record was 4-0-27-5 by James Faulkner against Pakistan at Mohali on 25th March 2016.
Earlier, during Australia’s batting in the first innings of this match, Agar came to bat in the 18th over and scored 20 not out off just nine balls (2 fours and only sixer). So, undoubtedly, Agar won the Player of the Match award.