Graeme Swann, a right-arm off-spinner, represented the England cricket team in 60 Tests, 79 One Day Internationals (ODI), and 39 Twenty20 Internationals (T20I) between 2000 and 2013.[2] He took eighteen five-wicket hauls in international cricket – seventeen in Tests and one in ODIs.[2][3] In cricket, a five-wicket haul (also known as a "five–for" or "fifer")[4] refers to a bowler taking five or more wickets in a single innings. This is regarded as a notable achievement,[5] and only 42 bowlers have taken more than 15 five-wicket hauls at international level in their cricketing careers as of July 2015.[3] The English cricket journalist Scyld Berry described Swann as "the best off-break bowler that England have had for more than half a century", and "the most effective spinner that England’s limited-overs teams have ever had".[6] Swann claimed 255 wickets in Test cricket, second only to Derek Underwood (297) among English spin bowlers.[7]
Swann made his Test debut in December 2008, taking four wickets in a match which England lost against India.[8] His first Test five-wicket haul came early the following year against the West Indies at the Antigua Recreation Ground, when he took five wickets for 57 runs.[9] Once during his career, Swann took five wickets in each innings of a match, against Bangladesh in 2010. This was also the first of three occasions in which he took ten wickets in a match.[10] His career-best figures for an innings were six wickets for 65 runs against Pakistan at the Edgbaston Cricket Ground in August 2010.[9]
In ODI cricket, Swann made his debut in January 2000 against South Africa, but off-field misdemeanours resulted in him being dropped from the team after just one match, and he did not play international cricket again until 2007.[11] His solitary five-wicket haul in ODIs was against Australia in September 2009, a match England won by four wickets. Swann took five wickets for 28 runs in the match, and was given the man of the match award.[12] He took 104 wickets in ODIs at an average of 27.76. Swann took 51 wickets in T20I cricket,[13] but did not claim any five-wicket hauls; his best bowling figures in the format were three wickets for 13 runs.[2] As of July 2015, his combined tally of 17 five-wicket hauls is twenty-seventh in the all-time list, a position he shares with Lance Gibbs.[10]
Key
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Date | Day the Test started or ODI held |
| 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 | Runs conceded per over |
| Batsmen | The batsmen whose wickets were taken in the five-wicket haul |
| Result | The result for the England team in that match |
| * | One of two five-wicket hauls by Swann in a match |
| † | 10 wickets or more taken in the match |
| ‡ | Swann selected as man of the match |
Tests
One Day International
| No. | Date | Ground | Against | Inn | Overs | Runs | Wkts | Econ | Batsmen | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 September 2009 ‡ | Riverside Ground, Chester-le-Street |  Australia | 1 | 10 | 28 | 5 | 2.80 | Won[12] |