9 bowlers with more than one hat-trick in international cricket

Wasim Akram (4 hat-tricks)

Wasim Akram is one of Pakistan's all-time greats at the international level.

Before Malinga, Pakistan legend Wasim Akram held the record for most hat-tricks in international cricket with four. The first one came in the second match of the Champions Trophy against West Indies at Sharjah on October 14, 1989.

Chasing 251 for victory, West Indies were in control at 209 for 5 when Akram clean bowled Jeff Dujon, Malcolm Marshall and Curtly Ambrose to leave West Indies reeling at 209 for 8. Pakistan eventually won by 11 runs.

Akram earned another hat-trick in the final of the Austral-Asia Cup at Sharjah, against Australia on May 4, 1990. Australia chasing 267 to win, were 230 for 7 in the 47th over and were in the game, if only just. However, Akram finished them off by cleaning up Merv Hughes, Carl Rackemann and Terry Alderman as Pakistan won by 36 runs.

Wasim Akram has two hat-tricks in Test cricket and two hat-tricks in ODI cricket.

The former left-arm pacer added to his list of hat-tricks during the drawn Asian Test Championship encounter at Lahore, played from March 4-8 1999. Responding to Pakistan’s first innings total of 398, Sri Lanka were well placed at 320 for 6.

With the first ball of the 83rd over, Akram had caught Romesh Kaluwitharana caught behind for exactly 100. From the next two balls, he clean bowled Niroshan Bandaratilleke and Pramodya Wickramasinghe as Sri Lanka ended their first innings on 328.

Akram’s fourth and final hat-trick came in the final of the Asian Test Championship played at Dhaka from March 12-15 1999. Trailing Pakistan by 363 runs after the first innings, things got worse for Sri Lanka in the second innings. Akram dismissed Avishka Gunawardene and Chaminda Vaas with the last two balls off the first over, and then came back to have Mahela Jayawardene caught with the first ball of the third over as Pakistan won the final by an innings and 175 runs.