Five-Wicket Hauls in Cricket: Records, History, and Greatest Performances

What Is a Five-Wicket Haul?

A five-wicket haul — commonly called a 'five-for', a 'fifer', or a 'Michelle' (slang, from rhyming slang Michelle Pfeiffer / five-for) — is when a bowler takes five or more wickets in a single innings of a cricket match. It is the bowling equivalent of a batsman's century: a milestone celebrated with genuine recognition, listed separately in scorecards and statistics.

In Test cricket, five-wicket hauls appear in official records for every match. They represent genuine match-turning performances — a bowler who takes five wickets in an innings has typically done significant damage to the opposing batting order. The achievement is considered less common and more demanding than a century, because a bowler shares overs with teammates and must sustain accuracy and threat for extended spells.

Most Five-Wicket Hauls in Test Cricket

Muttiah Muralitharan holds the record for the most five-wicket hauls in Test cricket with 67 — an astonishing total that reflects both his quality and his longevity. No other bowler has come close. Richard Hadlee, with 36, was long the leader before Muralitharan surpassed him. Shane Warne recorded 37 five-wicket hauls in his 145-Test career.

Most Iconic Five-Wicket Hauls in History

Jim Laker's 19/90 at Old Trafford in 1956 against Australia remains the most extraordinary bowling performance in cricket history — he took 9/37 and 10/53 in the same match, the only time any bowler has taken 10 wickets in a Test innings. Details are covered in the companion article on the best Test bowling performances.

Shane Warne's first delivery in Ashes cricket — the 'Ball of the Century' to Mike Gatting at Old Trafford in 1993 — came on his way to a five-wicket haul. It announced to the world that leg-spin, thought to be in terminal decline, was back as a match-winning weapon.

Anil Kumble took 10/74 against Pakistan in Delhi in 1999 — only the second time any bowler has taken all 10 wickets in a Test innings. It came on a turning pitch, but Kumble's accuracy and persistence over extended spells made it achievable.

Five-Wicket Hauls in ODI Cricket

In One Day Internationals, five-wicket hauls are rarer because batsmen are typically more aggressive and the format limits individual bowling spells. Muttiah Muralitharan leads here too with 10 ODI five-wicket hauls. The best bowling figures in ODI history are Chaminda Vaas's 8/19 against Zimbabwe in 2001.

Waqar Younis (13 ODI five-fors) and Muralitharan (10) are the most prolific in the format. In T20 Internationals, a five-wicket haul is genuinely exceptional — the short format and batting conditions make it extremely difficult.

What Makes a Great Five-For?

Not all five-wicket hauls are equal. A 5/140 in a high-scoring draw reads very differently from a 5/18 that wins a Test on the final day. Analysts consider not just the raw wicket tally but the quality of batsmen dismissed, the conditions, the match situation when wickets fell, and the economy rate achieved alongside the wickets.