In cricket, a five-wicket haul (also known as a "fifer"[1]) refers to a bowler taking five or more wickets in a single innings. This is regarded as a notable achievement,[2] and as of September 2014 only 42 bowlers have taken 15 or more five-wicket hauls at the international level.[3]Mitchell Johnson—a left-arm fast bowler—is a former Test, One Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 International (T20I) cricketer who represented Australia. Johnson took 264 wickets in Test matches, 212 wickets in ODIs and 38 wickets in T20Is.[4] With 15 five-wicket hauls across all formats of the game, he ranks equal thirty-ninth among all-time combined five-wicket haul takers, and ninth in the equivalent list for Australia.[a][3]
Johnson made his Test debut against Sri Lanka in 2007.[4] His first five-wicket haul came against New Zealand during the first Test of the 2008–09 series at the Gabba.[5] His 5 wickets for 39 runs in the second innings raised his tally to 9 wickets for the match.[6] Australia won the match by 149 runs and his performance earned him the man-of-the-match award.[7] His best bowling figures for an innings are 8 wickets for 61 runs against South Africa in 2008.[8][9] In Test matches, Johnson was most successful against England, taking 5 of his 12 five-wicket hauls against them.[10]
In 2005, Johnson made his ODI debut against New Zealand.[11] He took his first five-wicket haul against India in 2007.[12] Johnson took 5 wickets for 26 runs in the match, which Australian won by 9 wickets.[13] His career best figures are 6 wickets for 31 runs against Sri Lanka at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in 2011.[14][15] Although Johnson made his first T20I appearance in 2007,[4] he did not pick up a fifer in the format. Figures of 3 wickets for 15 runs against Sri Lanka in 2010 were his best in this version of the game.[16]
Tests
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Date | Day the Test started or ODI held |
| Inn | Innings in which five-wicket haul was taken |
| Overs | Number of overs bowled |
| Runs | Number of runs conceded |
| Wkts | Number of wickets taken |
| Econ | Runs conceded per over |
| Batsmen | Batsmen whose wickets were taken |
| Result | Result for the Australia team |
| * | One of two five wicket hauls by Johnson in a match |
| † | 10 or more wickets taken in the match |
| ‡ | Johnson was selected as the man of the match |
| No. | Date | Ground | Against | Inn | Overs | Runs | Wkts | Econ | Batsmen | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 November 2008 ‡ | The Gabba, Brisbane |  New Zealand | 4 | 17.3 | 39 | 5 | 2.22 | Won[6] | |
| 2 | 17 December 2008 † ‡ | WACA Ground, Perth |  South Africa | 2 | 24 | 61 | 8 | 2.54 | Lost[17] | |
| 3 | 7 August 2009 | Headingley, Leeds |  England | 3 | 19.3 | 69 | 5 | 3.53 | Won[18] | |
| 4 | 4 December 2009 | Adelaide Oval, Adelaide |  West Indies | 3 | 22 | 103 | 5 | 4.68 | Drawn[19] | |
| 5 | 27 March 2010 † ‡ | Seddon Park, Hamilton | New Zealand | 4 | 20.1 | 73 | 6 | 3.61 | Won[20] | |
| 6 | 1 October 2010 | Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali |  India | 2 | 20 | 64 | 5 | 3.20 | Lost[21] | |
| 7 | 16 December 2010 ‡ | WACA Ground, Perth | England | 2 | 17.3 | 38 | 6 | 2.17 | Won[22] | |
| 8 | 21 November 2013 ‡ | The Gabba, Brisbane | England | 4 | 21.1 | 42 | 5 | 1.98 | Won[23] | |
| 9 | 5 December 2013 † ‡ | Adelaide Oval, Adelaide | England | 2 | 17.2 | 40 | 7 | 2.30 | Won[24] | |
| 10 | 26 December 2013 | Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne | England | 1 | 24 | 63 | 5 | 2.62 | Won[25] | |
| 11 | 12 February 2014 * † ‡ | SuperSport Park, Centurion | South Africa | 2 | 17.1 | 68 | 7 | 3.96 | Won[26] | |
| 12 | 12 February 2014 * † ‡ | SuperSport Park, Centurion | South Africa | 4 | 16 | 59 | 5 | 3.68 | Won[26] |
One Day Internationals
| No. | Date | Ground | Against | Inn | Overs | Runs | Wkts | Econ | Batsmen | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 October 2007 ‡ | IPCL Sports Complex Ground, Vadodara | India | 1 | 10 | 26 | 5 | 2.60 | Won[13] | |
| 2 | 6 July 2008 | Warner Park Sporting Complex, Basseterre | West Indies | 2 | 7.5 | 29 | 5 | 3.70 | Won[27] | |
| 3 | 10 August 2011 ‡ | Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy |  Sri Lanka | 1 | 10 | 31 | 6 | 3.10 | Won[15] |