Five famous hat-tricks in international cricket

3. Irfan Pathan (India v/s Pakistan, Karachi Test, January 2006)

It was an amazing display of swing and control as India got off to the perfect start against Pakistan in the third Test at Karachi.

And they had a young left-arm pacer to thank – Baroda bowler Irfan Pathan, who came up with an almost-magical performance that belied his young age.

Salman Butt managed to keep his wicket intact for the first three deliveries of the match, as Pathan maintained a perfect line to the left-hander. But from the fourth ball onwards, it was mayhem at the top.

The left-hander poked at a delivery that was full and pitched on the off-stump; however, he misjudged the amount of late swing on the ball, and his attempted defensive push ended up in an outside edge that was snapped up by Dravid.

Younus Khan was also beaten by the late swing as the ball curved sharply into him, trapping him right in front of the stumps. He was replaced by Mohammad Yousuf, who had long been a thorn in India’s side, and took strike for the hat-trick ball.

The Indians moved in as Pathan ambled up to the crease, an extra spring in his step. He sent down a delivery that pitched outside off, Yousuf moved on to the front foot, but the ball swung back in sharply and removed the stumps. The Pakistan camp was stunned, the Indians overjoyed.

Sadly, despite these heroics, India ended up losing the game and the series, despite a gritty hundred from Yuvraj Singh in the second innings. Nevertheless, this over will go down as one of the finest in international cricket.