Five-Wicket Haul in Cricket: The Bowler's Century
Taking five wickets in a single innings is cricket's bowling equivalent of a century — learn what it means, how rare it is, and who has the most five-fors in history.
What Is a Five-Wicket Haul?
A five-wicket haul — often called a 'five-for' or a 'fifer' — occurs when a bowler takes five or more wickets in a single innings. It is cricket's most celebrated individual bowling achievement and is considered the bowling equivalent of a batter scoring a century. The notation in a scorecard appears as 5/xx (five wickets for xx runs).
Why Five Wickets Is the Magic Number
With 10 wickets available per innings and the wicketkeeper typically taking none, a bowler who takes five has claimed half the wickets. Accounting for run-outs (no bowler credited), catching partnerships, and shared contributions, claiming five individually represents exceptional dominance over an innings.
Most Five-Wicket Hauls in Test History
| Bowler | Country | Five-Wicket Hauls |
|---|---|---|
| Muttiah Muralitharan | Sri Lanka | 67 |
| Shane Warne | Australia | 37 |
| Richard Hadlee | New Zealand | 36 |
| James Anderson | England | 32+ |
| Glenn McGrath | Australia | 29 |
Five-Wicket Hauls in Limited-Overs Cricket
Five-wicket hauls in ODI and T20 cricket are rarer than in Tests — partly because teams spread the bowling across five specialists with 10-over limits, and partly because batting conditions are generally better. In T20Is, a five-for is very rare — the format simply does not allow 10 wickets to be distributed evenly across five bowlers.
Frequently asked questions
Does a five-wicket haul include no-ball dismissals?
No. Wickets off no-balls are not awarded to the bowler. Only legitimate deliveries that produce dismissals count — caught, bowled, LBW, stumped, hit wicket, or any method where the bowler is credited in the scorecard.
Can a bowler take six or seven wickets in an innings?
Yes. Seven for 32, for example, means seven wickets taken for 32 runs. The record for most wickets in a Test innings is 10 — Jim Laker, England vs Australia in 1956. He took 10 wickets in the same innings with figures of 10/53.
What is the bowling equivalent of a duck?
An 'analytical duck' for bowling is taking zero wickets in a long, expensive spell — spending many overs without reward. It is not formally named but is discussed in commentary as a poor bowling performance.