In cricket, a five-wicket haul (also known as a "five–for" or "fifer")[2][3] refers to a bowler taking five or more wickets in a single innings. This is regarded as a notable achievement.[4] As of January 2024, 170 cricketers have taken a five-wicket haul on their debut in a Test match,[5] with nine of them being taken by New Zealand cricketers.[6] They have taken a five-wicket haul on debut against six different opponents: three times against England, twice against Pakistan, and once against India, South Africa, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe each.[7] Of the nine occasions, New Zealand won the match four times, drew three times, and lost twice.[8][9][10] The players have taken five-wicket hauls at nine different venues, including six outside New Zealand; the most recent was taken at Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi.[11]
The first New Zealand player to take a five-wicket haul on Test debut was Fen Cresswell who took six wickets for 168 runs against England in 1949.[12][13] Cresswell, Alex Moir and Colin de Grandhomme are the only bowlers to have taken six wickets each on debut. Six other players have taken five wickets on their Test debut.[6] De Grandhomme took six wickets for 41 runs, the best bowling figures by a New Zealand bowler in an innings on Test debut, against Pakistan in 2016, at Hagley Oval.[6][14] He accumulated seven wickets for 64 runs in the match, the best bowling figures by a New Zealander in a Test match on debut.[12] De Grandhomme and Ajaz Patel are the only players to get the man of the match award on their Test debuts.[14][15] Amongst the bowlers, Bruce Taylor is the only player "to achieve the all-round feat" on his Test debut against India in 1964–65 at Eden Gardens, Calcutta; [note 1] he scored 105 runs and took 5 wickets for 86 runs.[16] Paul Wiseman's five-wicket haul is the most economical, with 1.75 runs per over, and Tim Southee has the best strike rate.[note 2] As of November 2018, the most recent Zealand cricketer to achieve this feat was Ajaz Patel.[6] Moir, Wiseman and Patel are the only spin bowlers to achieve this feat, the others being fast bowlers.[18][19]
Key
| 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 New Zealand team in that match |
| † | Bowler selected as the man of the match |
Five-wicket hauls
| No. | Bowler | Date | Ground | Against | Inn | Overs | Runs | Wkts | Econ | Batsmen | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fen Cresswell | 13 August 1949 | The Oval, London |  England | 2 | 41.2 | 168 | 6 | 4.06 | Drawn[13] | |
| 2 | Alex Moir | 17 March 1951 | Lancaster Park, Christchurch | England | 2 | 56.3 | 155 | 6 | 2.74 | Drawn[20] | |
| 3 | Bruce Taylor | 5 March 1965 | Eden Gardens, Calcutta |  India | 2 | 23.5 | 86 | 5 | 3.60 | Drawn[21] | |
| 4 | Paul Wiseman | 27 May 1998 | R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo |  Sri Lanka | 4 | 46.5 | 82 | 5 | 1.75 | Won[22] | |
| 5 | Mark Gillespie | 16 November 2007 | Centurion Park, Centurion |  South Africa | 2 | 30.0 | 136 | 5 | 4.53 | Lost[23] | |
| 6 | Tim Southee | 22 March 2008 | McLean Park, Napier | England | 1 | 23.1 | 55 | 5 | 2.37 | Lost[1] | |
| 7 | Doug Bracewell | 1 November 2011 | Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo |  Zimbabwe | 4 | 25.0 | 85 | 5 | 3.40 | Won[24] | |
| 8 | Colin de Grandhomme† | 17 November 2016 | Hagley Oval, Christchurch |  Pakistan | 1 | 15.5 | 41 | 6 | 2.68 | Won[14] | |
| 9 | Ajaz Patel† | 16 November 2018 | Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi | Pakistan | 4 | 23.4 | 59 | 5 | 2.49 | Won[15] | |
| 10 | William O'Rourke | 13 February 2024 | Seddon Park, Hamilton | South Africa | 3 | 13.5 | 34 | 5 | 2.45 | Won [25] |
References
Notes
Specific