Noman Ali was the star of the second Test match between Pakistan and the West Indies at the Multan Cricket Stadium. After Kraigg Brathwaite won the toss and elected to bat, the 38-year-old left-arm spinner ran through the West Indies batting lineup. Within the first hour of play, West Indies found themselves reeling at 38-7, with Noman taking the majority of the wickets.

In the 12th over of the match, Noman made history by taking a remarkable hat-trick, dismissing Justin Greaves (1), Tevin Imlach (0), and Kevin Sinclair (0).

This performance earned Noman a spot in the history books, becoming only the sixth bowler ever to take a Test hat-trick in the first session of the opening day. Notably, he is only the second spin bowler in history to achieve this feat. The only previous occurrence of a spinner taking a first-session hat-trick was 141 years ago when Australia’s Billy Bates achieved the same against England at the MCG in 1883. Noman’s achievement also made him the first player since India’s Irfan Pathan, who completed this rare feat in 2006 against Pakistan.

Noman’s remarkable performance makes him the first-ever Pakistan spinner to take a Test hat-trick and the sixth overall from the country to do so. He is also the second-oldest player to achieve this milestone, at 38 years and 139 days old, just behind Rangana Herath, who achieved it at 38 years and 110 days.

Despite his impressive performance, Pakistan lost the match by 120 runs, but Noman’s exceptional hat-trick and six-wicket haul remain the highlights of the game.