On this day in 2018: Shehan Madushanka takes a hat-trick on ODI debut
On January 27, 2018, Sri Lanka’s Shehan Madushanka became the fourth bowler in ODI history to claim a hat-trick on debut. He recorded the milestone in the Tri-series Final against Bangladesh at Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka. His personal landmark also helped his team in clinching the final match by 79 runs.
The medium-pacer, in his only ODI appearance to date, achieved the most special feat which every bowler dreams of. The occasion was the Tri-series Final between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh as Zimbabwe, the third team in the tournament couldn’t qualify for the summit clash. Chasing a target of 222, Bangladesh lost the final three wickets to Madushanka as the pacer became the fourth bowler in ODIs to record the milestone.
He took the wickets of Mashrafe Mortaza, Rubel Hossian, and Mahmudullah to take his side home and win the Tri-nation series. He finished the match with figures of 3/26 in 6.1 overs with one maiden and an economy rate of just 4.20.
The other three other bowlers who took a hat-trick on their ODI debuts are Taijul Islam, Kagiso Rabada, and Shehan’s team-mate Wanindu Hasaranga. Taijul Islam became the first bowler in the history of ODI cricket to get to the feat when he dismissed the Zimbabwean players at Mirpur in the year 2014. Next was South Africa’s speedster Kagiso Rabada who also took the milestone at the same venue against Bangladesh in 2015.
Hasaranga, the third bowler in this special list entered the record books by registering his hat-trick against Zimbabwe at Galle in 2017. Notably, the 26-years old Shehan Madushanka has played only a solitary ODI and two T20Is as he was arrested by police for alleged possession of illegal drugs in May 2020 after which the Sri Lankan board suspended him from all forms of cricket with immediate effect. His two T20I appearances also came on the same Bangladesh tour where he went wicketless in the first match and snared two scalps in the second T20I against the Bangla Tigers.
Hat-tricks are the dream of any bowler and to do so on debut match is quite miraculous. One of two Sri Lanka bowlers to claim a hat-trick in the 50-overs format on debut, Madushanka after his heroic performance in the Tri-series Final earlier in that year in January, was also awarded a national contract by the Sri Lankan cricket board later in May 2018.
