List of international cricket five-wicket hauls by Bob Willis

Bob Willis was a right-arm fast bowler, who represented the England cricket team in 90 Tests between 1971 and 1984.[1][2] In cricket, a five-wicket haul (also known as a "five-for" or "fifer")[3] refers to a bowler taking five or more wickets in a single innings. This is regarded as a notable achievement,[4] and As of 2017, only 44 bowlers have taken at least 15 five-wicket hauls at international level in their cricketing careers.[2] In Test cricket, Willis took 325 wickets, including 16 five-wicket hauls.[1][5] The Wisden Cricketers' Almanack named him one of their cricketers of the year in 1978, and termed him "one of the world's foremost fast bowlers."[6]

A head and shoulder shoot of an Englishman standing at the Taunton Cricket Ground, wearing a black shirt and spectacles
Willis took 16 five-wicket hauls in Test cricket.

Willis made his Test debut during the fourth Test of the 1970–71 Ashes series, against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground.[7] His first Test five-wicket haul came in the third Test of the 1974–75 Ashes series at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.[8] Willis' career-best figures for an innings were 8 wickets for 43 runs—seventh among Top 100 Bowling performances of all time by Wisden[9]—at Headingley, during the 1981 Ashes series.[10] He never took ten wickets in a match; his best performance for a match was 9 wickets for 92 runs against New Zealand in 1983 at Headingley.[11][12] He was most successful against Australia, taking seven five-wicket hauls.[13]

Willis made his One Day International (ODI) debut against the West Indies at Headingley, during the 1973 Prudential Trophy.[14] He never took a five-wicket haul in ODIs; his career-best figures for an innings were 4 wickets for 11 runs against Canada during the 1979 Cricket World Cup, a match England won by 8 wickets at Old Trafford.[15][16] As of 2021, Willis is thirty-ninth overall among all-time combined five-wicket haul takers.[n 1]

Key

Willis took three of his five-wicket hauls at Headingley.[17]
Key for the Test five-wicket hauls table
SymbolMeaning
DateDate the match was held, or starting date of the match for Test matches
InnThe innings of the match in which the five-wicket haul was taken
OversNumber of overs bowled in that innings
RunsRuns conceded
WktsNumber of wickets taken
EconBowling economy rate (average runs per over)
BatsmenThe batsmen whose wickets were taken in the five-wicket haul
ResultThe result for the England team in that match
Captained the England cricket team
DrawnThe match was drawn

Test five-wicket hauls

Five-wicket hauls in Test cricket by Bob Willis
No.DateGroundAgainstInnOversRunsWktsEconBatsmenResult
126 December 1974Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne  Australia221.7[n 2]6152.09Drawn[8]
222 July 1976Headingley, Leeds  West Indies315.34252.70Lost[20]
31 January 1977Eden Gardens, Calcutta[n 3]  India120.02751.35Won[21]
428 January 1977Karnataka State Cricket Association Stadium, Bangalore[n 4]  India117.05363.11Lost[22]
516 June 1977Lord's Cricket Ground, London  Australia230.17872.58Drawn[23]
628 July 1977Trent Bridge, Nottingham  Australia326.08853.38Won[24]
725 August 1977Kennington Oval, London  Australia229.310253.45Drawn[25]
810 February 1978Basin Reserve, Wellington  New Zealand315.0[n 2]3251.60Lost[18]
915 June 1978Lord's Cricket Ground, London  Pakistan213.04753.61Won[26]
1027 July 1978Kennington Oval, London  New Zealand120.24252.06Won[27]
1115 December 1978WACA Ground, Perth  Australia218.5[n 2]4451.77Won[19]
125 June 1980Trent Bridge, Nottingham  West Indies426.06552.50Lost[28]
1316 July 1981Headingley, Leeds  Australia415.14382.83Won[10]
1410 June 1982Lord's Cricket Ground, London  India328.010163.60Won[29]
1526 November 1982Brisbane Cricket Ground, Brisbane  Australia229.46652.22Lost[30]
1628 July 1983Headingley, Leeds  New Zealand414.03552.50Lost[12]

Notes

References

External links