IRE vs NZ: Michael Bracewell becomes first to bag hat-trick in first-ever T20I over

New Zealand’s Michael Bracewell continued his good form in the T20Is against Ireland as he bagged his maiden hat-trick in T20Is in his very first over that he bowled in the format ever since his debut. After successfully playing some vital knocks with the bat in the ODIs and leading the Black Caps to a thrilling victory, Bracewell took charge of the ball in the second T20I and claimed a brilliant hat-trick.

Bracewell took charge of the bowling attack in the 14^th over, at a point in time when Ireland required 93 runs to win with just three wickets in hand. Ireland were struggling at 86/7 at the end of the 13^th over before the right-arm off-break Bracewell came into the attack. Irish batters Mark Adair and Barry McCarthy were at the crease, and the former had scored runs quickly by hitting Ish Sodhi and James Neesham for multiple boundaries in the two previous overs.

McCarthy slammed Bracewell for a four on his very first ball before taking a single off the second and rotating the strike. Adair stepped forward and tried to hit the ball for a six but fell short of the line as Glenn Phillips caught him at deep mid-wicket, helping Bracewell bag his maiden T20I wicket. Bracewell’s next delivery looked like someone had replayed the previous dismissal. McCarthy tried pitching it in the same manner like Adair and elevated it for a six but instead of crossing the ropes, the ball landed in Phillips’ hands.

Bracewell held his nerves while looking for his maiden hat-trick and the next delivery did not require any action from Craig Young as it was pitched wide outside off stump and was also somewhat short in length. However, Young attempted to play the cut off his front foot, which resulted in the ball bobbing up towards backward point, where Sodhi completed the catch.

Watch his hat-trick here:

Michael Bracewell can't Do anything Wrong
Hat-trick in his First Over of T20 Internationals is just amazing and Unbelievable 🥵pic.twitter.com/nIPmvgCmjM

— ⚡ (@Visharad_KW22) July 20, 2022

With Bracewell’s hat-trick, New Zealand won the match by a huge margin of 88 runs and took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series. Bracewell unlocked multiple achievements as he became the first cricketer to take a hat-trick in his very first over in the 20-over format and also became just the third New Zealander to take a hat-trick in men’s T20I.