Lasith Malinga once stunned the cricket world with four wickets in four balls. Moments like that spark one big question for many fans: how many wickets make a double hat trick in cricket? Even on Google, people ask: Double hat-trick mein kitne wickets hote hain?
This guide shares the exact answer in clear words. It covers the rule, famous cases, scorer notes, ball-by-ball examples, near misses, and the real reason this feat stays rare. You will also see tables, classic moments, and short stories that help you understand the full picture. Your cricket matters, and knowing these rare plays makes the game even sweeter.
Quick answer
A double hat trick is 4 wickets in 4 consecutive legal deliveries by the same bowler in one match.
Only wickets credited to the bowler count. Run-outs do not count toward the sequence.
What is a hat-trick vs a double hat-trick
A hat-trick means 3 wickets in 3 legal balls by the same bowler.
A double hat trick means 4 wickets in 4 legal balls by the same bowler.
Simple ball-by-ball example
Hat-trick (3 in 3)
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- Ball 1: bowled
- Ball 2: lbw
- Ball 3: caught behind
Double hat trick (4 in 4)
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- Ball 1: bowled
- Ball 2: caught
- Ball 3: lbw
- Ball 4: bowled
Official rules and scorer notation
Cricket laws by MCC do not define the phrase “double hat trick.” It is a common cricket term used by fans, players, scorers, and commentators. The scoring rules credit wickets to the bowler, but the name of the feat is informal.
What counts as a legal delivery
A legal delivery is any ball that is not a wide or a no-ball. Only legal deliveries can form the sequence.
Dismissals that count
These dismissals can form a double hat trick:
Run-outs never count in this sequence.
Also read: types of out in cricket
Can it span overs or innings?
Yes, it can span overs.
For example:
- 2 wickets at the end of one over
- 2 wickets at the start of the next over
No, it cannot cross innings. A new innings resets all sequences.
Common misconceptions
Many fans mix up terms when they hear about rare bowling feats. Here are the most common myths and the clear corrections.
Myth 1: A double hat trick means 6 wickets
This is wrong. The correct answer is 4 wickets in 4 legal balls. Some fans assume “double” means twice a hat-trick, but the term in cricket has always meant four in four.
Myth 2: Run-outs count
Run-outs never count because the wicket must be credited to the bowler. Any dismissal not credited to the bowler breaks the sequence.
Myth 3: It must happen in the same over
This is not true. The sequence can continue across two overs. The only rule is that the four balls must be consecutive legal deliveries by the same bowler.
Myth 4: It is an ICC-recognised category
It is a popular cricket expression, but it is not an official category in the MCC Laws. Scorers still mark the four wickets in standard notation without a special symbol.
Full list of international instances
Below is the verified list of all international double hat tricks (four in four) across formats.
| Year | Bowler | Country | Format | Opponent | Wicket sequence | Match result |
| 2007 | Lasith Malinga | Sri Lanka | ODI | South Africa | Bowled, Bowled, Caught, Bowled | SA won by 1 wicket |
| 2019 | Rashid Khan | Afghanistan | T20I | Ireland | lbw, Bowled, Bowled, lbw | Afg won by 32 runs |
| 2021 | Curtis Campher | Ireland | T20I | Netherlands | lbw, Caught, Bowled, lbw | Ireland won by 7 wickets |
| 2024 | Andre Russell | West Indies | T20I | England | Caught, lbw, Bowled, Caught | WI won by 5 runs |
One-line context for each
- Malinga 2007: Changed the chase and stunned cricket fans worldwide.
- Rashid 2019: Turned the match during a middle-overs squeeze.
- Campher 2021: Historic moment for Ireland in the T20 World Cup.
- Russell 2024: Shifted momentum in the death overs.
Notable domestic, franchise, and associate-level examples
IPL
There is no official IPL double hat trick yet. Several bowlers came close. Sunil Narine and Amit Mishra both had three-in-three moments with a fourth chance missed by inches.
BBL
Shaun Tait once came close when he picked three quick wickets with the fourth edged but dropped at slip.
PSL
Mohammad Sami created a near-frenzy when he took three in three and almost trapped the fourth lbw. Ball tracking showed it clipping the stumps, but it stayed not out.
Domestic and club cricket
There are many four-in-four moments in state and club cricket. Domestic scorecards on CricHeroes often show bowlers picking up four wickets in one over during knockout matches. These clips often go viral because the energy in gully cricket and club cricket feels raw and relatable.
Associate-level cricket
Qualifying tournaments often feature dramatic collapses. A USA Under-19 pacer once took four wickets in four balls during a regional qualifier, creating a buzz on social media.
Format-wise breakdown and why T20 shows more occurrences
Test cricket
The format rarely allows four-in-four because batters defend more and settle longer. There are only famous near-misses, including Malinga in Galle and Starc in Adelaide.
ODIs
The chance is higher than Tests because batters take more risks. Malinga remains the only ODI bowler with a confirmed four-in-four.
T20s and T20Is
T20 cricket naturally creates more chances. Batters swing harder, pressure builds faster, and teams lose wickets in clusters. This format has produced several four-in-four cases already.
Occurrence table by format
| Format | Confirmed double hat tricks | Notes |
| Test | 0 | Only near-misses |
| ODI | 1 | Malinga 2007 |
| T20I | 3 | Rashid, Campher, Russell |
| T20 (franchise/domestic) | Several | Club and franchise leagues show more cases |
Ball-by-ball analysis: classic examples
A four-ball burst tells its own story. Here are short case studies that show how fast a match can turn.
Lasith Malinga vs South Africa, 2007 ODI
Ball 1: yorker, bowled
Ball 2: swinging full ball, bowled
Ball 3: short ball, caught behind
Ball 4: fast yorker, bowled
This spell shook the chase and created one of cricket’s most replayed clips. Even today, scorers on local apps like CricHeroes try to tag similar spells because they want to record the moment cleanly.
Curtis Campher vs Netherlands, 2021 T20 World Cup
Ball 1: lbw
Ball 2: caught
Ball 3: bowled
Ball 4: lbw
This moment helped Ireland take control of the group stage.
Rashid Khan vs Ireland, 2019 T20I
Ball 1: lbw
Ball 2: bowled
Ball 3: bowled
Ball 4: lbw
This spell came during a phase where Afghanistan needed a quick breakthrough. It changed the tempo of the innings within seconds.
Related rare feats
Cricket has several rare bowling feats. Here is a simple comparison.
| Feat | Balls | Explanation | Occurrence |
| Hat-trick | 3 in 3 | Three wickets in three legal balls | Common across formats |
| Double hat trick | 4 in 4 | Four wickets in four legal balls | Very rare |
| Five-in-five | 5 in 5 | Five wickets in five legal balls | Mostly club level |
| Perfect over | 6 in 6 | Six wickets in six legal balls | Seen in youth and club matches |
Near-misses happen often, especially in T20, where a batter survives the fourth or fifth ball with luck or a dropped catch.
How rare is a double hat trick?
A simple probability model helps show the rarity.
Even if a bowler has a high wicket-taking rate, the chance of taking four consecutive wickets stays tiny.
Plain-language estimate
If a bowler has a wicket chance of roughly 5 percent per ball, the chance of four in four is:
0.05 × 0.05 × 0.05 × 0.05 = 0.00000625
This means the chance is around 1 in 160,000 balls.
Historical frequency
Across thousands of international matches, only a handful of four-in-four moments exist.
Domestic cricket sees more because of uneven match-ups, shorter formats, and pressure swings.
Factors that raise or lower the chance
- Match pressure
- New batters on strike
- Swing-friendly conditions
- Pitch offering bounce or grip
- Lower middle-order batters coming in late
Myths, fan talk, and language
Commentators and fans use “double hat trick” because it sounds clean and easy to understand. It also helps explain the rare moment without long explanations.
In gully cricket, players often shout “char ball char wicket” when someone does it. Hindi cricket chatter also includes phrases like “bhai ye toh four in four hogaya.”
These moments stay part of cricket talk because they happen fast, create shock, and turn ordinary overs into memorable stories.
Conclusion
A double hat trick means 4 wickets in 4 legal deliveries, and this guide showed every part of it. You saw the rule, scorer notes, famous spells, format patterns, and the myths that confuse many fans. These bowling bursts remind us how fast cricket can turn. If you have seen a local match where someone took four in four, share it with us. Your cricket matters, and every story adds to the game’s spirit.
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FAQs
1. How many wickets make a double hat trick?
A double hat trick needs 4 wickets in 4 legal deliveries. This must be done by the same bowler in one match.
2. Is a double hat trick an official term?
No, the term is not official. It is widely used by fans, players, and commentators.
3. Which bowler has the most double hat-tricks?
No bowler has more than one confirmed four-in-four at the international level.
4. Has anyone taken a double hat-trick in Test cricket?
No player has taken a confirmed four-in-four in Test cricket.
5. Can a run-out count toward a double hat trick?
No, run-outs do not count because the wicket must be credited to the bowler.
6. Can wides or no-balls be part of the sequence?
No, wides and no-balls do not count because the delivery must be legal.
7. Do run-outs count?
No, they do not count because they break the sequence.
8. Can it cross innings?
No, the sequence cannot cross innings. A new innings resets all counts.
9. How do scorers record it?
Scorers mark each wicket normally. They do not use a special symbol.
10. How often do double hat-tricks happen in T20s?
They happen more often in T20s because batters take more risks and overs move fast.
11. What is the difference between a double hat trick and two hat tricks?
A double hat trick is four in four. Two hat-tricks need six wickets with a gap allowed between them.
12. Has a double hat trick decided a match?
Yes, several four-in-four spells changed matches, including international T20 games.
13. Are there five-in-five or six-in-six records at the international level?
No, these happen only in domestic or club cricket.
I am Manan Joshi , SEO All-Rounder at CricHeroes.
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