Australia's premier left-arm pacer, Mitchell Starc, renowned for his lethal pace and pinpoint accuracy, consistently transforms himself into a formidable force during World Cup events.
This phenomenon was on full display during the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup warm-up match between Australia and the Netherlands when Starc delivered an astonishing performance, securing a hat trick by dismissing the opposition's top three batsmen.
It is important to note that this hat trick will not officially count in the records as it is a warm-up. Nonetheless, it serves as a powerful reminder to fans that Starc, a serial World Cup wicket-taker, has returned to his formidable form.
His hat trick commenced with the dismissal of Max O'Dowd, who was trapped in front of the stumps by a delivery that swung in and straightened enough to be declared LBW. Starc followed this up by clean-bowling Wesley Barresi with an inswinging delivery that appeared nearly unplayable for the right-handed batsman, sending him back on the final ball of the first over.
With a hattrick chance on the first ball of the third over, Starc sprinted in and shattered the middle stump, this time with a lightning-fast yorker that left Bas de Leede with no chance, destabilizing the Dutch batting order early in their chase.
Australia, while batting first, encountered difficulties in scoring but still managed to reach a total of 166 in their 23 overs, with Steve Smith opening the innings and contributing a brisk 55 runs. Cameron Green was the second-highest scorer, valiantly fighting to amass 34 runs.
In response, the Netherlands found themselves reeling from the early brilliance of Starc, as all three batsmen he dismissed were facing their very first balls of the game. The Netherlands were 84/6 in 14.2 overs as the match ended with no result due to rain
- Mitchell Starc