Pakistan spinner Noman Ali created history on day one of the second ongoing Test against West Indies in Multan. Inside the first session, he picked his maiden Test hat-trick, becoming the first spinner from the country to achieve this feat.
Although Pakistanβs rich Test cricket history has a few bowlers who unlocked this achievement before, none of the spinners could, with seamer Naseem Shah being the last to do so (against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi in 2020).
The left-arm orthodox bowler removed Justin Greaves, Tevin Imlach and Kevin Sinclair off successive deliveries in only his third over of the day to become the Pakistani spinner to pick a Test hat-trick.
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After electing to bat first in Multan, West Indiesβ back was against the wall in no time, with the spin duo of Noman and Sajid Ali, alongside debutant seamer Kashif Ali, wreaking havoc inside the first hour. Reeling at 38 for four after 11 overs, West Indies lost three wickets in the next, with their scorecard reading 38/7 in 12 overs.
Noman, bowling over the wicket, first removed Greaves (caught in the slips) before trapping Imlach right in front of the wicket. On his hat-trick delivery, he bowled a fuller length only for Sinclair to find the edge, with Babar Azam completing a stunner in the second slip.
That wicket led to jubilation in the ground, dressing room and the stadium, with everyone celebrating Nomanβs first Test hat-trick.
Watch -
ππ§π π’π§ππ«πππ’ππ₯π ππππ! π
β Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) January 25, 2025
Hat-trick hero Noman Ali makes history in Multan π#PAKvWI | #RedBallRumble pic.twitter.com/2xRLeYpVXl
West Indies then lost two more wickets before the century-mark, with Noman completing another five-for of the series. Though only Kavem Hodge could get into the double digits among the top seven batters, the bowlers saved the day for the touring side, with each of Gudakesh Motie, Kemar Roach (25) and Jomel Warrican scoring handy runs.
Pakistan bowlers to pick Test hat-tricks
Noman Ali became the first Pakistani spinner and fifth overall from the country after Wasim Akram (2), Abdul Razzaq (1), Mohammad Sami (1) and Naseem Shah (1) to pick Test hat-tricks.
While Wasim was the first to do so, twice against Sri Lanka during the 1998/99 series, all-rounder Razzaq was the next, picking his first against the same team in 1999.Β
A couple of years later, express pacer Sami picked his first Test hat-trick against the Lankans in 2001, with Naseem Shah adding one to his name in 2020 against Bangladesh.Β