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There is an old saying about London buses: You can wait ages for one to come along, and then two arrive almost together. The same can be said about World Cup hat-tricks.
Although the first hat-trick was scored at the inaugural World Cup in 2007, it would be another fourteen years before the feat was accomplished again, with three men managing it in the space of a few days.
Two more followed in 2022, and then, in 2024, first Pat Cummins of Australia joined the exclusive club, with Chris Jordan of England following in his footsteps two days later.
That still means that there have been more T20 World Cups than hat-tricks.
Australia's fast bowler Brett Lee had the honour of taking the first one, playing against Bangladesh in a group match in Cape Town in 2007. Bangladesh had reached 108/3 in the 17th over and were looking to accelerate before Lee put a stop to their plans.
With the fourth ball of his over, he induced an edge from Shakib Al-Hasan, and he was caught behind by wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist. The next ball, he clean-bowled Mashrafe Mortaza, who had stepped back to make room for his shot, only to be deceived by a yorker.
That brought Alok Kapali to the crease, and with the fielders crowding in, he missed the ball. It struck his pad, and he had been given out a leg before.
It would be fourteen years before the World Cup saw another hat-trick, with Ireland's Curtis Camphor earning himself a place in the history books as the only man to take four wickets in four balls in the competition.
The 2021 tournament was originally due to be hosted by Australia but was relocated to the Middle East because of the Covid pandemic. Playing against the Netherlands in a group game in Abu Dhabi,
Camphor took the wickets of Colin Ackermann, Ryan ten Doeschate, Scott Edwards and Roelof van der Merwe in successive deliveries. In to 51/6 and, in the space of a few minutes, he reduced the Dutch from 51/2 to 51/6 and laid the platform for a seven-wicket Irish win.
Less than two weeks later, Wanindu Hasaranga became the first Sri Lankan bowler to take a World Cup hat-trick as his side took on South Africa in a Super 12 clash in Sharjah.
When put into bat, the Sri Lankans were restricted to 142 in their innings, and the South Africans were going well in their reply. They reached 96/4 when Hasaranga had Aiden Markram bowled for 19 off the last ball of the 15th over.
He returned to bowl the 18th over and had the South African skipper Temba Bavuma caught in the deep for 46. He then accounted for Dwaine Pretorius's first ball, out attempting a similar shot.
Sadly, Hasaranga and his team's efforts proved in vain. David Miller scored an unbeaten 23, and Kagiso Rabada was not out 13, as South Africa won by four wickets with one ball of the match remaining.
Nine days later, on the same ground, Rabada again starred, this time with the ball against England.
When put into bat, the South Africans posted an imposing 189/2 from their 20 overs, in large part due to an unbeaten 94 from Rassie van der Dussen.
With 20 needed to win and 12 balls still to be bowled, Rabada was given responsibility for bowling the penultimate over. Chris Woakes smashed his first delivery into the stands for six, but then, trying to repeat the shot, he was caught at deep mid-wicket.
With the batters having crossed whilst the ball was in the air, England captain Eoin Morgan faced the next ball, and he could only pick out the deep square leg fielder. Chris Jordan faced the hat-trick ball and found the man standing at long-off.
As his sheepish grin afterwards testified, Rabada knew it was not the most elegant hat-trick. However, it helped his side win by one run in the end.
Karthik Maiyappan of the UAE may not be a household name, but he had his moment in the sun in 2022 in Australia.
In a first-round match in Group A in Geelong, the UAE played Sri Lanka, whom they had asked to bat first after winning the toss.
Sri Lanka progressed well and reached 117/2 in the 15th over when Maiyappan, a leg spinner playing in his 13th international, intervened.
First, he induced a false shot from Bhanuka Rajapaksa, who tried to hit it on the offside but found a deep cover instead. The next ball was a googly with a bit of extra bounce, which saw Charith Asalanka's edge of the bat and was caught behind by the wicketkeeper. Maiyappan then claimed the prize scalp of the Sri Lankan captain Dasun Shanaka, bowled through the gate first ball.
Unfortunately, the fairy tale did not have a happy ending. Sri Lanka eventually made 152/8 before bowling out the UAE for just 73, with Maiyappan making just four with the bat.
Also, in 2022, Josh Little became the second Irish bowler to take a T20 World Cup hat-trick in their Super 12 match against New Zealand in Adelaide.
The left-armed fast bowler first removed the New Zealand skipper, caught on the boundary for 61. Then he had Jimmy Neesham caught plumb in front of his stumps, and he was given out leg before heading back to the pavilion after a golden duck. And, in almost a carbon copy, Mitchell Santer was also out of leg before falling for a golden duck.
New Zealand, though, were to have the last laugh. After posting 185/6, they kept Ireland down to 150/9 in their reply and won by 35 runs, although Little did have the satisfaction of finishing unbeaten on eight.
Pat Cummins joined Brett Lee in the Australian Fast Bowlers club to take T20 World Cup matches in their Super 8 match at this year's World Cup in Antigua, although he was initially unaware of it.
In the 18th over of the Bangladesh innings, he induced an inside edge onto his won stumps by Mahmadullah, and then he had new batter Mahedi Hasan caught by Adam Zampa after an ugly hoick down to the deep third-man boundary.
He had to wait until the start of the final over to claim his place in the record books, getting Towhid Hridoy caught scooping a shot to short fine leg.
Cummins was so caught up in the game that he had forgotten he was on a hat-trick and was only reminded of it when his teammates gathered around to congratulate him.
Chris Jordan was born and brought up in Barbados, where his classmates at school included the future pop star Rihanna and several other players who would go to play for the West Indies.
However, he then left for England to pursue his sporting ambitions, and he returned in their colours for their must-win Super 8 game against the USA.
And, with assorted family members watching him from the stands in Barbados, he gave them and him something to remember the occasion by.
Former New Zealand international Corey Anderson was his first victim, followed by Nosthush Kenjige and Saurabh Netravalkar, as the USA were reduced from 115/5 to 115 all out in minutes.
A brutal batting display from Josh Buttler meant England reached their target without losing a wicket and more than eight overs to spare.
