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 notable achievement,[3] and as of March 2024[update] only 52 bowlers have taken at least 15 five-wicket hauls at the international level in their cricketing careers.[4] Nathan Lyon is a right-arm off-spinner who has represented Australia in Tests, One Day Internationals (ODI), and Twenty20 Internationals (T20I).[5] As of March 2024[update], Lyon has taken 24 five-wicket hauls for his country across 128 Tests, 29 ODIs, and 2 T20Is.[4][5]
Lyon made his Test debut against Sri Lanka at the Galle International Stadium on 31 August 2011, and became the 30th Australian cricketer to take a five-wicket haul on Test debut, taking 5 wickets for 34 runs in the first innings.[6][7] In Test matches, Lyon has been most successful against India, taking 9 of his 24 five-wicket hauls against them.[8] His best figures in an innings of 8/50 came against the same team, taken at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, on 4 March 2017.[9] As of March 2024[update], his 527 wickets in Tests are the third-most for an Australian cricketer[10] and seventh-highest across all cricketing nations.[11]
Lyon's ODI debut was against Sri Lanka at the Adelaide Oval on 8 March 2012.[12] As of March 2024[update], he is yet to take a five-wicket haul in the format, with his best figures being 4/44, taken against Zimbabwe at the Harare Sports Club on 31 August 2014.[13][14] Lyon made his T20I debut against India on 29 January 2016 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.[15] His only wicket in the format, as of March 2024[update], was taken against Pakistan at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on 28 October 2018.[16][17]
As of March 2024[update], Lyon's tally of 24 five-wicket hauls is tied thirteenth[a] in the all-time list across all formats[4] and is fourth in the equivalent list for Australia.[18] He has taken twelve five-wicket hauls in Asia, the most by a visiting spinner there.[5][19]
A ten-wicket haul occurs when a bowler takes ten wickets in either across two innings in a two-innings match[3] or, rarely, in a single innings.[20] As of March 2024[update], Lyon has taken ten wickets in a match five times in Tests and is one of 19 players to take 5 or more ten-wicket hauls.[21]
Key
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Date | Day the Test started |
| Inn | The innings of the match in which the five-wicket haul was taken |
| Overs | Number of overs bowled in that innings |
| Runs | Number of runs conceded |
| Wkts | Number of wickets taken |
| Batsmen | The batsmen whose wickets were taken in the five-wicket haul |
| Econ | Bowling economy rate (average runs per over) |
| Result | Result for Australia |
| † | 10 wickets or more taken in the match |
| ‡ | Lyon was selected as man of the match |
Test five-wicket hauls
Test ten-wicket hauls
| No. | Figures | Against | Venue | Date | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12/286 |  India | Adelaide Oval, Adelaide | 9 December 2014 | Won[27] |
| 2 | 13/154 |  Bangladesh | Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chattogram | 4 September 2017 | Won[30] |
| 3 | 10/118 |  New Zealand | Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney | 3 January 2020 | Won[35] |
| 4 | 11/99 | India | Holkar Stadium, Indore | 1 March 2023 | Won[40] |
| 5 | 10/108 | New Zealand | Basin Reserve, Wellington | 29 February 2024 | Won[41] |