In Test matches, bowlers claiming five-wicket hauls are like batters scoring centuries. If you take five wickets in an innings it means you dismissed half of them. When they are taken for peanuts, then the team in the fielding side has a great opportunity to press for victory.
Glenn McGrath from Australia, one of history’s best pace bowlers, ended his career with 29 five-fers in 124 Tests. James Anderson, another English legend though recently retired bagged 32 five-wicket hauls during a course of 188 Test matches he participated. The list does not stop at just fast bowlers; spinners like New Zealander Daniel Vettori have managed to pull off 20 fivers.
However, these names do not even appear among Test bowlers with most five-wicket hauls. A look into the group who is popularly known as “the top five” players show that they belong together in this rank as well.
#1 Anil Kumble (35)
The fifth most five-wicket hauls in Test cricket belong to Anil Kumble, the former captain and spin bowling legend of India. He played 132 Test matches for India, claiming 35 five-wicket hauls.
10-74, Kumble’s best bowling figure was against Pakistan at Delhi in February 1999. He is only one of three bowlers in Test cricket history to have taken all ten wickets in an innings. In Sydney during January 2004 Kumble took 8 wickets for 141 runs when Steve Waugh played his last match.
Kumble also took 7-48 against Australia at Chennai (October 2004), 7-59 against Sri Lanka at Lucknow (January 1994), 7-63 versus Pakistan in Kolkata (March 2005) and 7-115 against England at Ahmedabad (December 2001).
#2 Ravichandran Ashwin (36)
An additional Indian occupies the fourth position among those who have taken most five-wicket hauls in Test cricket. Famous for his off-spin bowling, Ravichandran Ashwin has played 100 Test matches and secured a total of 36 five-wicket hauls.
His best figures in an innings (7-59) were recorded during a match against New Zealand held in Indore, October 2016. Also, he took 7-66 against South Africa at Nagpur, November 2015, 7-71 against West Indies played at Roseau July 2023 and 7-83 again against West Indies held at North Sound July 2016.
In addition, Ashwin has two more instances of seven-wicket hauls in Test cricket. In February 2013, he claimed 7-103 against Australia played in Chennai and on the other hand claimed 7-145 against South Africa played in Visakhapatnam during October, 2019.
#3 Richard Hadlee (36)
Sir Richard Hadlee, a former New Zealand bowling all-rounder, claimed 36 five-wicket hauls during his Test career, although he only played 86 Test matches and took a world record of 431 wickets at that time.
Hadlee’s best performance included 9-52 against Australia at Brisbane in November 1985. In February 1976, he also thrashed India’s batting order by taking 7 wickets for just 23 runs in Wellington. The gutsy fast bowler took six wickets in one inning as many as 13 instances within his entire Test matches.
The Kiwi international had figures of 6-26 against England at Wellington February 1978; 6-49 against India at Wankhede, Mumbai during November 1988; and 6-50 against West Indies at Christchurch during March 1987.
#4 Shane Warne (37)
The second slot that the late spin wizard Shane Warne occupies in the list of illustrious bowlers having the most five-wicket hauls in Test cricket. He played 145 Test matches and managed to take 37 five-wicket hauls
Warne’s best of all times eight runs for 71 against England at Brisbane in November 1994. He bowled through Pakistan at seven runs for 23 in Brisbane, November 1995. The former leg spinner had 7-52 against West Indies at Melbourne on December 22nd, 1992.
Three additional sevens were claimed by him in Test matches. These include 7-56 against South Africa in Sydney during January 1994; 7-94 against Pakistan in Colombo during October 2002; and 7-165 versus England at The Oval during August 2001.
#5 Muttiah Muralitharan (67)
Sri Lanka’s finest off-spin bowler Muttiah Muralitharan is clearly ahead of his rivals on the list of bowlers with most five-wicket hauls in Test cricket. Murali, as he is generally known, played 133 Test matches and picked a remarkable 67 five-wicket hauls. He finished his Test career with 800 wickets.
Muralitharan’s best innings figure of 9-51 were recorded against Zimbabwe in January 2002 while playing at Kandy. In addition he also took nine wickets to Steve Harmison at The Oval which has remained one of the most memorable matches ever played on English soil (at least for Murali).
In this match Sri Lanka became the first team to win a Test match by ten wickets since Australia defeated South Africa by that margin way back when – August 1973! So Murali took seven wickets during this innings alone this time round.
He also took three eight-wicket hauls during his Test career. His figures included: 8-46 against West Indies on July 2005 at Kandy; 8-70 against England on June 2006 in Nottingham; 8-87 against India during the month of August 2001 at Colombo.
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