ON THIS DAY IN 2006: One of the most electrifying moments in a cricketer’s career is taking a Test hat-trick. But when it comes against your arch-rivals, and in the very first over of the match, it becomes an achievement etched in cricketing folklore.
THE SCENE: Karachi, 2006. India’s tour of Pakistan. India wins the toss and elects to field. Young pace bowler Irfan Pathan takes the ball for the first over.
THE MAGIC: On the last three balls of the over, Pathan unleashes a series of unplayable deliveries. Salman Butt, Younis Khan, and Mohammad Yousuf – three of Pakistan’s top batsmen – are sent back to the pavilion without scoring a single run.
Ball One: Butt Beaten by Beauty
Pakistan opener Salman Butt, known for his confident strokeplay, faced the first ball. Pathan, the left-arm pacer renowned for his in-swinging deliveries to right-handers, had a different plan. He unleashed a picture-perfect out-swinger that kissed the outside edge of Butt’s bat, finding its way to Virender Sehwag at first slip.
Ball Two: Younis Trapped by Precision
Younis Khan, the Pakistani batting stalwart, strode to the crease next. He tried to defend a delivery angled across the line, but the ball, with its vicious inswing, found its way through a gap in his pads, crashing squarely onto middle stump. Younis, stunned, trudged back to the pavilion while the Indian camp erupted in celebration.
Ball Three: Yousuf Bowled by Brilliance
For his final act of this incredible over, Pathan saved his best. Mohammad Yousuf, Pakistan’s batting maestro, received a delivery pitched just outside off that drifted in just as he went forward to defend. The ball squeezed through the narrow gap between bat and pad, taking the top of middle and sending Yousuf’s bails flying.
Three balls, three wickets, three of Pakistan’s top batsmen dismissed without scoring a single run.
Irfan Pathan’s hat-trick on that fateful day wasn’t just a series of stunning deliveries; it was a moment etched in cricketing history. It was a display of sheer talent, precision, and unwavering confidence. It was a symbol of India’s fighting spirit against their fiercest rivals. And it was a reminder that cricket, in its purest form, can produce moments of magic that transcend borders and leave us speechless.
A BITTERSWEET VICTORY: Pathan’s heroics, however, were not enough to secure victory for India. Pakistan fought back valiantly, eventually winning the match by a massive 341 runs. Despite taking five wickets in the first innings and scoring 40 with the bat, Pathan could only manage one wicket and four runs in the second innings. India fell short of the mammoth 607-run target, and the series ended 1-0 in Pakistan’s favour, with the first two Tests drawn.
While the result may not have gone India’s way, Irfan Pathan’s opening-over hat-trick remains etched in cricketing history as a testament to his talent and skill. It was a moment of sheer brilliance that ignited the Karachi crowd and sent shivers down the spines of Pakistani batsmen. And for cricket fans, it served as a reminder of the unpredictability and drama that makes this sport so special.
The magic of Pathan’s left-arm swing ended in January 2020 when he announced his retirement. His journey, encompassing 29 Tests, 120 ODIs, and 24 T20Is, had yielded 100 Test wickets, 173 ODI wickets, and 28 T20I wickets. While he also contributed 1105 runs in Tests, 1544 in ODIs, and 172 in T20Is, it was his bowling, particularly that magical Karachi over, that cemented his place in cricketing history.
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