West Indies pacer Shamar Springer produced a sensational hat-trick against Afghanistan on Thursday, January 22, in the third T20I, helping his side secure a 15-run victory and a consolation win in the three-match series. Chasing 152, Afghanistan looked favourites with 25 runs needed off 12 balls and six wickets in hand, but Springer turned the game on its head in the penultimate over.
Springer began the over by dismissing Rahmanullah Gurbaz, caught at deep square leg by Matthew Forde on the very first ball. He then dismissed Rashid Khan at backward point on the next delivery, followed by a pinpoint yorker that sent Shahidullah back to the pavilion, completing his first T20I hat-trick.
With this feat, Springer became the third West Indian bowler, after Jason Holder and Romario Shepherd, to claim a T20I hat-trick. Remarkably, this was also the second hat-trick of the series, following Mujeeb Ur Rahman’s hat-trick in the second T20I, marking the first instance of multiple hat-tricks in a men’s T20I series between two Full Member sides.
Mujeeb’s earlier heroics had helped Afghanistan secure a 39-run victory in the second T20I. He had dismissed Evin Lewis and Johnson Charles on consecutive deliveries in the eighth over of West Indies’ innings and then removed Brandon King on the first ball of the 16th over, ensuring Afghanistan won the match and the series after also winning the first T20I by 38 runs.
In the third game, Brandon King top-scored for West Indies with 47 off 35 balls, while the other top-five batters got starts but failed to convert them. A decent effort from Matthew Forde (27 off 11) and Springer (16 off 9) in the end helped the team post 151/8.
Afghanistan started their chase strongly, with Gurbaz (71) and Ibrahim Zadran (28) putting on 72 runs for the opening wicket in 10 overs. However, the middle order collapsed, managing just 43 runs in the next seven overs while losing four wickets. With 12 runs off the 18th over, they were still in the hunt, but Springer’s hat-trick in the penultimate over sealed the win for the West Indies.
