In cricket, a five-wicket haul (also known as a "five-for" or "fifer") [2] refers to a bowler taking five or more wickets in a single innings. This is regarded as a significant achievement. [3] As of January 2024, 170 cricketers have taken a five-wicket haul on their debut in a Test match, [4] with eleven of them being taken by Pakistani players. [5] They have taken a five-wicket haul on debut against seven different opponents: three times against New Zealand and Australia, and once against Bangladesh, England, India, South Africa and Zimbabwe each. [6] Of the eleven occasions, Pakistan won the match four times, and drew seven times. The players have taken five-wicket hauls at nine different venues, including six outside Pakistan; three of them have achieved the feat at the National Stadium, Karachi. [7]
Arif Butt was the first Pakistani player to take a five-wicket haul on his Test debut, he took six wickets for 89 runs against Australia in 1964. [8] [9] Mohammad Nazir and Mohammad Zahid are the only bowlers to have taken seven wickets each. Butt and Tanvir Ahmed have taken six wickets each and six others have taken five wickets on debut. [5] Zahid took seven wickets for 66 runs, the best bowling figures by a Pakistani bowler on debut, against New Zealand in 1996, at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. [5] He accumulated 11 wickets for 130 runs in the match, the only Pakistani to take 10 or more wickets in a Test match on debut. [10] Amongst the bowlers, Bilal Asif is the most economical, with 1.67 runs per over, and Zahid has the best strike rate. [note 1] As of 2021, the most recent bowler to achieve the feat was Nauman Ali. He took five wickets for 35 runs against South Africa in 2021 at the National Stadium. [5] [12]
Abrar Ahmed became the first Pakistani bowler to five-wicket haul in the opening session of a test match and also on debut. [13]
Symbol | Meaning |
---|---|
Date | Date the match was held, or starting date of the match for Test matches |
Inn | The innings of the match in which the five-wicket haul was taken |
Overs | Number of overs bowled in that innings |
Runs | Runs conceded |
Wkts | Number of wickets taken |
Econ | Bowling economy rate (average runs per over) |
Batsmen | The batsmen whose wickets were taken in the five-wicket haul |
Result | The result for the Pakistan team in that match |
† | Bowler selected as "Man of the match" |
‡ | 10 wickets or more taken in the match |
Drawn | The match was drawn |
Wasim Akram is a Pakistani cricket commentator, coach, and former cricketer and captain of the Pakistan national cricket team. Akram is regarded as one of the greatest bowlers of all time. He is often revered as The Sultan of Swing. In October 2013, Wasim Akram was the only Pakistani cricketer to be named in an all-time Test World XI to mark the 150th anniversary of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. As captain, he led Pakistan to the finals of the 1999 Cricket World Cup, where they lost to Australia by 8 wickets. He was a part of the Pakistani squad which won the 1992 Cricket World Cup.
Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium is a cricket stadium located in Rawalpindi, Punjab province of Pakistan. It is located close to Pir Meher Ali Shah University and Rawalpindi Arts Council. The first international match at the stadium was played on 19 January 1992, when Sri Lanka faced Pakistan in an ODI. The stadium hosted its first Test match in 1993, when Zimbabwe toured Pakistan.
... I'd rather take fifers (five wickets) for England ...