Double Hat-Trick in Cricket: So Rare, Even Virat Kohli Has Never Faced One

In a game where centuries and five-fors grab the spotlight, there’s something quietly mythical about a hat-trick. Three wickets. Three balls. Boom, boom, boom — and a ripple across the stadium that feels like a jolt.

Now stretch that to four wickets in four balls.

That’s not just rare. That’s seismic.

Some call it a “double hat-trick.” Some cricket purists scoff — technically, it’s not. But in the language of fans, emotion beats semantics. And when a bowler rips through four men in four deliveries, nobody’s checking definitions. They’re screaming. Or stunned silent.

So, let’s settle the confusion.

What is a double hat-trick? How many wickets does it really involve? And who are the men who’ve pulled it off when everything — rhythm, courage, chaos — clicked perfectly?

The Real Definition: Not Just a Fancier Hat-Trick

A hat-trick is simple: three consecutive wickets by the same bowler, across legal deliveries. No runs in between. No extras. Clean and brutal.

A “double hat-trick,” despite the playful name, usually refers to four wickets in four consecutive balls, all by the same bowler. Not spread over two overs. Not with a run or a wide in between. Pure — uninterrupted — carnage.

It’s not an official ICC term. But in cricketing circles, the meaning is clear: four victims, four bullets.

And yes — it’s rare.

Why Is It So Rare?

Think about it. A hat-trick already demands a perfect storm: pressure, momentum, skill, maybe a bit of panic in the opposition. But four? That’s a collapse folding in real time.

You need:

• The third wicket to set the fuse.
• The fourth to detonate the crowd.

And you usually need it to happen in shorter formats — where desperation leads to poor shot selection, or in Tests when tailenders pile up. Even then, four-in-four is lightning in a bottle.

In over a century of international cricket, it’s happened just a handful of times. That should tell you everything.

Four Wickets in Four Balls: Not Just a Stat, A Statement

Here’s what separates a double hat-trick from just “good bowling”:

It happens fast. Players barely settle. Batsmen don’t have time to adjust. The atmosphere shifts — and a bowler becomes a force of nature.

Take a look at some of the most iconic examples:

Player	Team	Opponent	Format	Year	Notable Detail
Lasith Malinga	Sri Lanka	South Africa	T20I	2019	Four wickets in four balls — clean bowled two
Rashid Khan	Afghanistan	Ireland	T20I	2019	Turned the game upside down in 18th over
Andrew Flintoff	England	West Indies	Test	2009	Three quick ones, then cleaned up the tail
Al-Amin Hossain	Bangladesh	Zimbabwe	ODI	2014	All LBWs — pure accuracy

Each of these wasn’t just a stat sheet anomaly. They were match-altering moments. You felt it. You remember them.

So… Why Call It a “Double” Hat-Trick?

This one’s a bit murky. Cricket doesn’t officially recognize the term “double hat-trick” in rulebooks. But language is shaped by fans — and this term stuck.

Some argue:

“A hat-trick is three. So two hat-tricks should be six wickets in six balls.”

Technically? Maybe.

But four in four is so improbable, so thrilling, it demands a name of its own. And “double hat-trick” has the punch — the rhythm — to match the moment.

What About Six in Six?

That’s unicorn territory.

There are no known instances of six wickets in six balls at the international level. In domestic circuits? A few obscure tales exist — but it’s cricket folklore, not fact.

Even five in five is extremely rare. And the pressure rises exponentially with each delivery. By ball number five, crowds are on their feet, the batter’s shaken, and the bowler? He’s trying not to think about what’s happening.

The Crowd Factor: You’ll Know It When You See It

Here’s the thing — you don’t need a rulebook to spot a double hat-trick.

When it happens, you feel it.

It’s the moment when commentators forget their stats.

When fans go from cheering to shouting to simply gasping.

When the non-striker doesn’t make eye contact.

When the umpire raises that finger again… and again… and again… and again.

It’s not just cricket. It’s theatre.

Final Over: Why Even Virat Kohli Isn’t Safe From Cricket’s Rarest Storm

There’s a reason a double hat-trick feels more like folklore than fact. It’s rare. It’s chaotic. It bends the game in a way that stats can’t fully capture.

Even a giant like Virat Kohli — with his footwork, reflexes, and mental game — wouldn’t be immune if caught in the right spell at the wrong time. That’s what makes it beautiful. The game, for all its planning and precision, still makes space for the impossible.

And when that space opens, bowlers step in — not just to dismiss, but to shock.

Because cricket, at its wildest, still remembers how to bite.