On this day in 2019, Australian fast bowler Megan Schutt made history by becoming the first woman to claim two hat-tricks in white-ball cricket and completed the double of claiming a hat-trick in women’s T20Is as well as ODIs.
Schutt’s remarkable feat came during Australia’s tour of the West Indies, in the third ODI at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua. After West Indies elected to bat first, Schutt bowled economically throughout her first nine overs but remained wicketless. However, she returned for the final (50th) over of the innings and delivered a stunning hat-trick.
Her first victim was Chinelle Henry, who was bowled for 39 after Schutt knuckled her stumps. In the very next ball, Afy Fletcher suffered the same fate, followed by Karishma Ramharack, who was dismissed for a golden duck. This hat-trick in the last three balls of the match helped Schutt finish with figures of 3/24, cleaning up the West Indies’ tail in a record-breaking spell. She also became the first Australian cricketer to claim a hat-trick in Women’s ODI cricket.
Just a year earlier, in 2018, Schutt had claimed her first international hat trick, then in the T20I format against India. The match was part of a tri-series hosted by India, also involving England. In the fourth match of the tri-series, Australia posted a massive total of 187.
Schutt first dismissed Smriti Mandhana, sending her stumps flying on the fifth ball of the second over and Mithali Raj was dismissed the very next ball in the same manner. She completed her hat-trick by dismissing Deepti Sharma, who fell on the first ball of the fifth over. Her stellar performance earned her the Player of the Match award as Australia triumphed over India.