This Sri Lankan bowler has become the sixth player from his country to pick up a ODI hat-trick, achieving this feat in the second game against New Zealand in Hamilton on Wednesday.
We are just one week into the year 2025 and we have already witnessed the first hat-trick in ODI cricketer. The achievement belongs to MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings teammate Maheesh Theekshana from Sri Lanka.
The Lankan off-spinner, became the seventh bowler from his country to pick up an ODI hat-trick in the second game against New Zealand at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Wednesday. Theekshana dismissed Mitchell Santner and Nathan Smith off the last two balls of his 7th over and then Matt Henry holed out off the first ball of his 8th over to give the CSK offie his first-ever ODI hat-trick.
Theekshana, who replaced Lahiru Kumara in the side for the second ODI, was the pick of the Lankan bowlers with figures of 4/44 in 8 overs as New Zealand piled up 255 for 9 in 37 overs in a rain-hit second ODI match. Apart from Theekshana, Chaminda Vaas, Lasith Malinga, Farveez Maharoof, Thisara Perera, Wanindu Hasaranga and Shehan Madhushanka are the other Sri Lankans to claim an ODI hat-trick.
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Hattrick taken by Sri Lanka bowlers in ODIs
C Vaas vs ZIM, 2001
C Vaas vs BAN, 2003
L Malinga vs SA, 2007
L Malinga vs KEN, 2011
L Malinga vs AUS, 2011
T Perera vs PAK, 2012
W Hasranga vs ZIM, 2017
S Madhushanka vs BAN, 2018
Maheesh Theekshana vs NZ, 2025**#NZvSL #NZvsSL— Vishwesh Gaur (@iumvishwesh) January 8, 2025
Vaas has two ODI hat-tricks to his name while the legendary Lasith Malinga claimed three in his ODI career.
(More to come)
