Key highlights from Week 3 of the ICC T20 World Cup

Australia pacer Pat Cummins celebrates after claiming hat-trick against Bangladesh. Pic/Getty Images

Back-to-back hat-tricks for Pat Cummins

Pacer Pat Cummins became the first bowler to bag back-to-back hat-tricks in T20Is - against Bangladesh and Afghanistan respectively. Cummins got his hat-trick across over No. 18 and 20 against Bangladesh. On the fifth ball of the 18th over, he clean bowled Mahmudullah. Mahedi Hasan was caught by Adam Zampa at third man off the last ball of the over. The hat-trick ball - first ball of the 20th over - had set batter Towhid Hridoy dismissed for 40 off 28 balls after he scooped one into the hands of Josh Hazlewood at short fine-leg.

In the game against Afghanistan, the Australian Test and ODI World Cup-winning captain dismissed Rashid Khan (Over No. 17.6 ), Karim Janat (19.1) and Gulbadin Naib (19.2) in three consecutive deliveries to complete the feat.

0 runs off four overs, a record that may never be broken

New Zealand pacer Lockie Ferguson stamped his name in the record books by producing the most economical spell in T20Is during their match against minnows Papua New Guinea (PNG). Ferguson bowled four overs without conceding a single run to register match figures of 4-4-0-3. The Kiwi pacer became the second bowler in T20I history to bowl all 24 dot balls after Canada's Saad Bin Zafar recorded figures of 4-4-0-2 against Panama during the T20 World Cup Americas Region Qualifier in 2021. His splendid bowling show helped New Zealand restrict PNG to just 78. In reply, the Kiwis chased the target with 46 balls to spare.

Eh? Only three sixes in 36-run over

West Indies smashed 36 runs off Afghanistan's Azmatullah Omarzai's over to record joint-highest runs in a T20I match. It was also the second 36-run over in a multi-nation T20 event after Yuvraj Singh sent all six deliveries by England pacer Stuart Broad out of the park at Durban in 2007. However, in this instance, 26 runs came off Nicholas Pooran's bat after he smashed three sixes and two fours, while 10 runs came off extras (5 wides, 4 leg byes, 1 no-ball) from the Afghan pacer.

All 10 Afghan batters out caught

In a rare instance, all 10 Afghanistan batters were dismissed out caught against India in an innings, only for the second time in the T20 World Cup. Coincidentally, all Afghan batters were out caught against England during the 2022 T20 World Cup match in Perth. This was also the first time India claimed all 10 catches in T20Is. Wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja, arguably India's best fielder, claimed three catches each.

Record number of sixes in T20 WC

The tournament has seen many low-scoring encounters, yet the ongoing World Cup has witnessed the highest number of sixes hit in a single edition. A total of 14 sixes were smashed during the West Indies versus USA match on Friday, which took the tally to 412, surpassing 405 maximums smashed during the 2021 edition. As of Saturday night (IST), 432 sixes were hit in the ongoing edition. Apart from this, West Indies versus the USA match also saw Nicholas Pooran smash a record 17 sixes in one edition to go past former West Indian big-hitter Chris Gayle's tally of 16 maximums in 2012.

Afghanistan stun tournament favourites Australia

SPIRITED Afghanistan created the biggest upset in the ongoing T20 World Cup by beating tournament favourites Australia by 21 runs. The victory now puts the Asian side in contention for their first-ever semi-final spot. This is also Australia's first-ever defeat to Afghanistan. Batting first, at 118-0 in 15.4 overs, Afghanistan looked all set to post a massive total, but thanks to Pat Cummins's hat-trick, the Rashid Khan-led side were restricted to 148-6. In reply, Australia lost three wickets inside the Powerplay. With 43 required off 33 balls and five wickets in hand, it looked like an easy win for the Aussies. But to everyone's surprise, the 2021 champions collapsed thereafter, managing just 21 in the next 29 balls before being bowled out for 127 in 19.2 overs. Pacers Gulbadin Naib and Naveen-ul-Haq claimed four and three wickets respectively for the victors.