The Devil's Dictionary of Cricket defines a hat trick as three wickets taken in successive balls. Sounding a trifle bit squeamish the dictionary admits that this cricketing term could perhaps be a debasement of the coinage. But it has a valid reason to feel so: "These days a bowler may be credited with a hat-trick even if an over from another bowler - or even his own side's innings - comes between two of his three wickets". Here is a lowdown on the instances of hat-tricks in cricketing history..