BBL becomes Big Bowl League with two hat-tricks in a day

Australia World

Posted January 09, 2020 09:57:05

The Big Bash League may be named for six-hitting batsmen but the BBL stood for the Big Bowl League on Wednesday, as hat-tricks were delivered in back-to-back games.

Hat-tricks in the BBL

Haris Rauf (Melbourne Stars) v Sydney Thunder, 2019/20
Rashid Khan (Adealaide Strikers) v Sydney Sixers, 2019/20
Josh Lalor (Brisbane Heat) v Perth Scorchers, 2018/19
Andrew Tye (Perth Scorchers) v Sydney Sixers, 2017/18
Andrew Tye (Perth Scorchers) v Brisbane Heat, 2016/17
Xavier Doherty (Hobart Hurricanes) v Sydney Thunder, 2012/13

First up, Afghan leg-spinner Rashid Khan took three wickets in as many balls for the Adelaide Strikers against the Sydney Sixers.

Later on, Pakistan pace sensation Haris Rauf got in on the act for the Melbourne Stars.

Stars captain Glenn Maxwell said he was confident Rauf could continue on his meteoric rise following a stunning spell against the Sydney Thunder.

Plucked from Tasmanian club cricket before the BBL, Rauf cleaned up Matthew Gilkes, Callum Ferguson and Daniel Sams for a final-over hat-trick on Wednesday night.

Most wickets in BBL this season

  • Daniel Sams (Sydney Thunder): 15 wkts, eight games
  • Haris Rauf (Melbourne Stars): 13 wkts, four games
  • Tom Curran (Sydney Sixers): eight wkts, eight games
  • Rashid Khan (Adelaide Strikers): seven wkts, seven games
  • Sean Abbott (Sydney Sixers): five wkts, five games

It was the sixth hat-trick in the BBL’s nine-season history, just hours after the fifth from Khan.

Rauf, 26, has had just three first-class games and was forced to play second-fiddle to Dale Steyn during the legendary quick’s brief BBL stint.

But not anymore, with Steyn having returned to South Africa for international duties.

Maxwell said Rauf was more than capitalising on being unfamiliar to Australian batsmen, like fellow internationals Khan and Sandeep Lamichhane before him.

“There’s a few teams we haven’t played so there’s still an opportunity to have that fear factor in the back of their mind before they play against us,” Maxwell said.

“If he keeps taking wickets like that, they have every right to be fearful.

“For him to get a hat-trick on a pretty good wicket was outstanding.

“Haris brings something different — an electric youth, that unknown and you’re not really sure what’s going to happen.”

Rauf, who has been sending down deliveries at more than 150 kph, has taken the second-most wickets in the BBL this season with 13, despite having featured in just four games.

In comparison, Daniel Sams has taken 15 wickets but taken part in all of the Thunder’s eight games.

The ladder-leading Stars are back in action on Saturday night when they again play struggling rivals the Melbourne Renegades at Docklands.

Khan’s wicket-taking trio not enough for Strikers

Star leg spinner Rashid Khan described his hat-trick ball against the Sixers as a “dream” and the best delivery he has bowled in his three seasons with the Strikers.

Rashid snared 4-22, including his maiden BBL hat-trick, but it wasn’t enough to prevent the second-placed Sixers from securing a tense two-wicket win at Adelaide Oval on Wednesday.

The Afghani wrist-spinner was mobbed by jubilant teammates after he landed a magnificent wrong ‘un which turned viciously and bowled Jordan Silk.

“I think that was the best ball I have bowled since I’ve been here in the BBL,” Rashid said.

“It was the perfect length and perfect area to bowl it. You can only dream to bowl that ball as a hat-trick ball.

“I wasn’t expecting to get a hat-trick on this wicket because it wasn’t spinning that much.”

It was the third hat-trick of Rashid’s Twenty20 career.

He first celebrated the achievement in the Caribbean Premier League and also took four wickets in consecutive balls for Afghanistan against Ireland.

Admittedly, his latest hat-trick was fortunate.

There were no issues with James Vince prodding forward tentatively and feathering a catch to Alex Carey but Jack Edwards was unlucky adjudged lbw for a golden duck.

Television replays confirmed the googly was too high and spinning past leg — not that Rashid was going to hand it back.

“That was one that [either] goes my way as a bowler or goes in favour of the batsman,” he said.

“To me, it was an umpire call. This is my third one. I’ve missed nine or 10 hat-tricks.”

AAP/ABC

Topics: sport, cricket, twenty20, melbourne-3000, vic, sydney-2000, nsw, adelaide-5000, sa, australia