Wasim Akram, a former Pakistani cricketer, took 31 five-wicket hauls during his career in international cricket. In cricket, a five-wicket haul (also known as a "five–for" or "fifer")[1][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 2014 only 41 bowlers have taken more than 15 five-wicket hauls at international level in their cricketing careers.[4][5] A left-arm fast bowler who represented his country between 1984 and 2003, the BBC described Akram as "one of the greatest left-arm bowlers in the history of world cricket",[6] while West Indian batsman Brian Lara said that Akram was "definitely the most outstanding bowler [I] ever faced".[7]
Akram made his Test debut in January 1985,[8] in an innings defeat by New Zealand in Auckland.[9] The following Test, in a man-of-the-match performance, he took ten wickets over the two innings, securing his first two five-wicket hauls but still ended on the losing side.[10] He took another pair of five-wicket hauls in a single match five years later, against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).[11] His career-best figures for an innings were 7 wickets for 119 runs against New Zealand in Wellington, in February 1994.[8]
Making his One Day International (ODI) debut in 1984 against New Zealand in Faisalabad, Akram's first ODI five-wicket haul came the following year against Australia in a match which Pakistan won at the MCG.[12] In 1989, he took five wickets in an innings, in a performance that included a hat-trick (three wickets in consecutive deliveries), against the West Indies.[13] His career-best bowling in ODI cricket was 5 wickets for 15 runs against Zimbabwe in Karachi, in December 1993.[8]
Retiring from international cricket in 2003 after nearly 20 years,[8] Akram took 25 five-wicket hauls in Test cricket and 6 in ODIs. As of 2014, his position in the all-time lists for taking five wickets in an innings the most times is seventh overall in both Tests and ODIs.[4][5]
Key
| 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 Pakistan team |
| * | One of two five-wicket hauls by Akram in a match |
| † | 10 or more wickets taken in the match |
| ‡ | Akram was selected as man of the match |
Tests
| No. | Date | Ground | Against | Inn | Overs | Runs | Wkts | Econ | Batsmen | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 February 1985 * † ‡ | Carisbrook, Dunedin |  New Zealand | 2 | 26.0 | 56 | 5 | 2.15 | Lost[10] | |
| 2 | 9 February 1985 * † ‡ | Carisbrook, Dunedin | New Zealand | 4 | 33.0 | 72 | 5 | 2.18 | Lost[10] | |
| 3 | 24 October 1986 ‡ | Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad |  West Indies | 2 | 25.0 | 91 | 6 | 3.64 | Won[14] | |
| 4 | 11 February 1987 | Eden Gardens, Calcutta |  India | 1 | 31.0 | 96 | 5 | 3.09 | Drawn[15] | |
| 5 | 9 December 1989 | Jinnah Stadium, Sialkot | India | 1 | 28.2 | 101 | 5 | 3.56 | Drawn[16] | |
| 6 | 12 January 1990 * † ‡ | Melbourne Cricket Ground |  Australia | 1 | 30.0 | 62 | 6 | 2.06 | Lost[11] | |
| 7 | 12 January 1990 * † ‡ | Melbourne Cricket Ground | Australia | 3 | 41.4 | 98 | 5 | 2.35 | Lost[11] | |
| 8 | 19 January 1990 | Adelaide Oval | Australia | 2 | 43.0 | 100 | 5 | 2.32 | Drawn[17] | |
| 9 | 6 December 1990 | Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore | West Indies | 3 | 9.0 | 28 | 5 | 3.11 | Drawn[18] | |
| 10 | 2 July 1992 | Old Trafford, Manchester |  England | 2 | 36.0 | 128 | 5 | 3.55 | Drawn[19] | |
| 11 | 6 August 1992 ‡ | Kennington Oval, London | England | 1 | 22.1 | 67 | 6 | 3.02 | Won[20] | |
| 12 | 2 January 1993 ‡ | Trust Bank Park, Hamilton | New Zealand | 2 | 22.0 | 45 | 5 | 2.04 | Won[21] | |
| 13 | 9 December 1993 | Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi |  Zimbabwe | 4 | 23.2 | 65 | 5 | 2.78 | Won[22] | |
| 14 | 10 February 1994 ‡ | Eden Park, Auckland | New Zealand | 3 | 16.1 | 43 | 6 | 2.65 | Won[23] | |
| 15 | 17 February 1994 † ‡ | Basin Reserve, Wellington | New Zealand | 2 | 37.0 | 119 | 7 | 3.21 | Won[24] | |
| 16 | 9 August 1994 | Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu Stadium, Colombo |  Sri Lanka | 4 | 18.0 | 43 | 5 | 2.38 | Won[25] | |
| 17 | 28 September 1994 | National Stadium, Karachi | Australia | 3 | 22.0 | 63 | 5 | 2.86 | Won[26] | |
| 18 | 7 February 1995 ‡ | Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo | Zimbabwe | 3 | 22.3 | 43 | 5 | 1.91 | Won[27] | |
| 19 | 8 September 1995 ‡ | Arbab Niaz Stadium, Peshawar | Sri Lanka | 2 | 20.0 | 55 | 5 | 2.75 | Won[28] | |
| 20 | 8 December 1995 | Lancaster Park, Christchurch | New Zealand | 2 | 24.5 | 53 | 5 | 2.13 | Won[29] | |
| 21 | 24 October 1996 † ‡ | Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad | Zimbabwe | 1 | 20.0 | 48 | 6 | 2.40 | Won[30] | |
| 22 | 27 November 1998 | Arbab Niaz Stadium, Peshawar | Zimbabwe | 2 | 23.0 | 52 | 5 | 2.26 | Lost[31] | |
| 23 | 25 May 2000 * † ‡ | Antigua Recreation Ground, St John's, Antigua | West Indies | 2 | 26.2 | 61 | 6 | 2.31 | Won[32] | |
| 24 | 25 May 2000 * † ‡ | Antigua Recreation Ground, St John's, Antigua | West Indies | 4 | 30.0 | 49 | 5 | 1.63 | Won[32] | |
| 25 | 14 June 2000 ‡ | Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, Colombo | Sri Lanka | 3 | 15.3 | 45 | 5 | 2.90 | Won[33] |
One Day Internationals
| No. | Date | Ground | Against | Inn | Overs | Runs | Wkts | Econ | Batsmen | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 February 1985 † | Melbourne Cricket Ground | Australia | 2 | 8 | 21 | 5 | 2.62 | Won[12] | |
| 2 | 14 October 1989 † | Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium | West Indies | 2 | 9.4 | 38 | 5 | 3.93 | Won[13] | |
| 3 | 26 December 1992 † | Basin Reserve, Wellington | New Zealand | 2 | 9 | 19 | 5 | 2.11 | Won[34] | |
| 4 | 15 February 1993 | Buffalo Park, East London |  South Africa | 2 | 6.1 | 16 | 5 | 2.59 | Won[35] | |
| 5 | 24 December 1993 † | National Stadium, Karachi | Zimbabwe | 1 | 7 | 15 | 5 | 2.14 | Won[36] | |
| 6 | 16 February 2003 † | De Beers Diamond Oval, Kimberley |  Namibia | 2 | 9 | 28 | 5 | 3.11 | Won[37] |
References
External links
- "Statistics / Statsguru / Wasim Akram / Test matches". Cricinfo. Archived from the original on 20 January 2013. Retrieved 22 November 2009.
- "Statistics / Statsguru / Wasim Akram / One-Day Internationals". Cricinfo. Archived from the original on 19 January 2013. Retrieved 22 November 2009.