33 Years ago on this day, Pakistan's Jalal-ud-Din took the first-ever ODI hat-trick

Jalal-ud-Din - The man who took the first-ever ODI hat-trick

He played only 8 ODIs, but he made a record that no one can deprive him of. He was playing 2nd ODI of his short career when he took the first hat-trick in ODIs. On 20 September 1982, Australia on their tour to Pakistan played first one-day international match of the series at Hyderabad.

Imran Khan, the captain of the team, was given rest after a successful tour of England. Jalal-ud-Din was replacing Imran, and he made the opportunity count the most. Pakistan made 229 in allotted 40 overs courtesy to Mohsin Khan’s 104 off 101 balls.

Australia’s opening stand put on 104 runs in 23 overs. However, three quick wickets taken by Tauseef Ahmad reduced them to 109-3. Allan Border and J Dyson gave scores stability and took it to 157-3 before Allan Border lost his wicket to the bowling of Jalal-ud-Din.

When Jalal came to bowl his penultimate over, he knocked off the stumps of Rod Marsh on the 4th ball. On next ball, he removed Bruce Yardley with the help of keeper Wasim Bari.

He was now on a hat-trick - the phenomena till then unprecedented in ODIs. On strike was Geoff Lawson who was to become Pakistan’s coach in later years. Jalal bowled out Lawson and thus claimed the first-ever hat-trick in ODIs.

The Pakistani bowler was definitely happy, but he didn’t know the fact that it was first ODI hat-trick. He came to know it on the next day and was even more joyful. Australia could make only 170-9 and lost the match by 59 runs.

Jalal remembers the event is these words:

“When you take two wickets on two balls, then as a bowler you obviously try to complete the hat-trick. A hattrick is something that you are not guaranteed to get no matter how hard you try. We were playing against Australia at Hyderabad, Sindh. I had dismissed Rodney Marsh and Bruce Yardley on two successive deliveries.

“Then I tried to get a hat-trick and was successful in the end. You are obviously excited when you achieve something like that and your teammates also appreciate you and congratulate you.

“So it was a great feeling. At that time, we were unaware of the fact that it was the first hat-trick in the history of ODI cricket. We got to know of it the next day when people checked the records and it doubled my excitement. So, it was a great feeling as we also won the match and I was receiving appreciation from all.”

Currently, he is into the coaching line and is only test player from Pakistan to have been accredited as level-3 coach by both ECB and PCB.