Stats: Most hat-tricks in cricket
Who is the bowler to have taken the most number of hat-tricks in cricket? We will take a look at the list for both ODI and Test cricket.
Here’s the ODI list:
| Player | Matches | Wickets | Hat-tricks |
| Lasith Malinga (SL) | 167 | 256 | 3 |
| Wasim Akram (PAK) | 356 | 502 | 2 |
| Saqlain Mushtaq (PAK) | 169 | 288 | 2 |
| Chaminda Vaas (SL) | 322 | 400 | 2 |
?1. Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka)
He is the only player to have picked up three hat-tricks in ODI cricket, also the only player to have picked up four wickets in four balls. That phenomenal feat was achieved in the World Cup game against South Africa in 2007 when he made the Proteas sweat towards the end. The next hat-trick was also in a World Cup tournament, this time at home in 2011 against Kenya. And, the final one was against the Aussies where he had Mitchell Johnson, John Hastings and Xavier Doherty as his victims.
?2. Wasim Akram (Pakistan)
The sultan of swing comes in next with two hat-tricks. Both were taken at Sharjah, and all the six victims were bowled. His first hat-trick victims include Jeff Dujon, Malcolm Marshall and Curtly Ambrose and his second include Merv Hughes, Carl Rackemann and Terry Aldermann.?
?3. Saqlain Mushtaq (Pakistan)
The man who invented the doosra comes in at number 3, also with two hat-tricks. Both were against the Zimbabweans. The first occasion was in 1996 in Peshawar where he had Grant Flower, John Rennie and Andy Whittall’s wickets. The second one was during the 1999 World Cup in England where he had Henry Olonga and Adam Huckly stumped and then picked up Pommie Mbangwa.
?4. Chaminda Vaas (Sri Lanka)
Vaas too has picked up a couple of hat-tricks, and the most unique thing about one of his hat-tricks was that he picked up the three wickets of the first three balls of the match. He picked one more wicket in the fifth ball of that first over. This was achieved against Bangladesh in the 2003 World Cup. Prior to that, he had a hat-trick against Zimbabwe in 2001, a game in which he ended up with a 8 wicket-haul.