Australian Billy Midwinter claimed the first five-wicket haul in the second innings of the inaugural Test match against England in 1877. In the same match, Alfred Shaw of England and Tom Kendall of Australia also achieved five-wicket hauls. Nasim-ul-Ghani of Pakistan is the youngest to take a five-wicket haul in Tests at 16 years and 303 days, while Australia’s Bert Ironmonger is the oldest, taking two five-wicket hauls in a match at 49 years and 311 days.
In One Day Internationals (ODIs), Dennis Lillee took the first five-wicket haul with figures of 5 for 34 against Pakistan in 1975. The record for the best ODI bowling figures is held by Chaminda Vaas of Sri Lanka, who took 8 for 19 against Zimbabwe in 2001. The youngest player to take five wickets in an ODI is Mujeeb Ur Rahman, who is 16 years and 325 days old, while the oldest is Sunil Dhaniram, who is 39 years and 256 days old.
Umar Gul of Pakistan took five wickets for six against New Zealand in 2009, the first five-wicket haul in T20 International history. India’s Deepak Chahar holds the best T20I bowling figures with 6 for 7 against Bangladesh in 2019. Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan is the youngest (18 years, 171 days), and South Africa’s Imran Tahir is the oldest (37 years, 327 days) to record five-wicket hauls in T20Is.
A Detailed Look at the Bowlers with the Most Five-Wicket Hauls
Muttiah Muralitharan – 77 (67 Test, 10 ODI)
Muttiah Muralitharan holds the record for the most five-wicket hauls in Test cricket with 67. He also has the second-highest number of five-wicket hauls in ODIs. He never achieved a five-wicket haul in T20 Internationals, where his best was 3 for 29.
Muralitharan is the leading wicket-taker in both Test and ODI history. He made his Test debut in 1992 and earned his first five-wicket haul in 1993 against South Africa. He achieved this feat against every Test-playing nation. He also took ten or more wickets in a match 22 times, another world record. His best bowling figures are 9 for 51 against Zimbabwe, the fifth-best innings figures in Tests.
He was most successful against Bangladesh and South Africa, claiming 11 five-wicket hauls against each. Fourteen of his 67 came at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in Colombo. He retired from Tests in July 2010, taking his 67th five-wicket haul in his final match.
In ODIs, Muralitharan ranks second behind Waqar Younis for the most five-wicket hauls. He debuted in 1993 and took his first ODI five-wicket haul in 1998 against Pakistan. His career-best ODI figures are 7 for 30, which rank as the fourth-best in ODI history.
Richard Hadlee – 41 (36 Test, 5 ODI)
Richard Hadlee, the former New Zealand fast bowler, took 41 five-wicket hauls in international cricket. He represented New Zealand from 1973 to 1990 and was the first bowler to reach 400 Test wickets. Wisden named him one of the Cricketers of the Year in 1982, and he was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in 2009.
Hadlee made his Test debut in 1973 against Pakistan at Wellington. His first five-wicket haul came in 1976 at the same venue against India. In 1980, he took his first pair of five-wicket hauls in a single match against the West Indies in Dunedin. He achieved this double in five matches and took ten or more wickets in a match nine times.
Hadlee made his ODI debut in 1973 against Pakistan. His first ODI five-wicket haul came in 1980 against India at Perth. His career-best ODI figures were 5 for 25 against Sri Lanka at Bristol in 1983. When he retired in 1990, he had 36 five-wicket hauls in Tests and five in ODIs, ranking second overall behind Muttiah Muralitharan among players with the most combined five-wicket hauls.
Shane Warne – 38 (37 Test, 1 ODI)
The late Australian leg-spin bowler Shane Warne has taken 38 five-wicket hauls in international cricket. He is second on the all-time Test list behind Muttiah Muralitharan and remains one of the greatest bowlers in cricket history. Warne took 708 Test wickets and 293 ODI wickets, ranking second in Tests and twelfth in ODIs for total wickets. He took only one five-wicket haul in ODIs. In 2000, he was named one of Wisden’s five Cricketers of the Century.
Warne made his Test debut against India in January 1992 at the Sydney Cricket Ground and took his first five-wicket haul later that year against the West Indies in Melbourne. He went on to claim ten or more wickets in a match on 10 occasions, second only to Muralitharan’s 22. Warne retired from international cricket in January 2007. He later retired from all forms of cricket in 2011.
Ravichandran Ashwin – 37 (37 Test)
Ravichandran Ashwin has taken 37 five-wicket hauls in international cricket, ranking joint-fourth overall and joint-first among Indian bowlers.
Ashwin made his Test debut in November 2011 against the West Indies, taking nine wickets in the match, including a five-wicket haul in the second innings, earning him the Man of the Match award. His best Test bowling figures are 7 for 59 against New Zealand in October 2016. He has taken ten or more wickets in a match seven times.
Ashwin made his ODI and T20I debuts in 2010. He has not yet taken a five-wicket haul in either format. His best ODI figures are 4 for 25 against the UAE in the 2015 World Cup, and his best T20I figures are 4 for 8 against Sri Lanka.
In 2016, Muttiah Muralitharan called him the “best current Test spinner.”
Anil Kumble – 37 (35 Test, 2 ODI)
Anil Kumble has taken 37 five-wicket hauls, taking 619 wickets in Tests and 337 in ODIs. He has the most for India and ranks fourth overall behind Muttiah Muralitharan, Richard Hadlee, and Shane Warne.
Kumble made his Test debut against England and his ODI debut against Sri Lanka in 1990. His first five-wicket haul came against South Africa at Johannesburg in November 1992. He took ten five-wicket hauls against Australia, the most against any team.
In ODIs, Kumble took two five-wicket hauls. His best figures were 6 for 12 against the West Indies in the 1993 Hero Cup final at Eden Gardens, helping India win the match. His second came against New Zealand in 1994 at the Basin Reserve.
FAQs
Q. Who in international cricket has taken the most five-wicket hauls?
A. In international cricket, Muttiah Muralitharan is the player with the most five-wicket hauls. He took 77 in all formats, including 10 in ODIs and 67 in Tests.
Q. Who has taken the most five wickets for India in One-Day Internationals?
A. Mohammed Shami has the most five-wicket hauls for India in One Day Internationals, with six.
Q. Who has claimed five wickets in five balls?
A. In the 2025 Inter-Provincial T20 Trophy, Curtis Campher of Ireland took five wickets in five balls for the Munster Reds.
Q. Who has the most five-wicket hauls as a captain?
A. In Test cricket, Imran Khan is the record holder with 12 five-wicket hauls as captain.
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