List of Pakistan cricketers who have taken five-wicket hauls on Test debut

Shahid Afridi during Pakistan's tour of New Zealand in December 2010.
Shahid Afridi took five wickets for 52 runs in his debut Test, against Australia in 1998.[1]

In cricket, a five-wicket haul (also known as a "five-for" or "fifer")[2] refers to a bowler taking five or more wickets in a single innings. This is regarded as a significant achievement.[3] As of January 2024, 170 cricketers have taken a five-wicket haul on their debut in a Test match,[4] with eleven of them being taken by Pakistani players.[5] They have taken a five-wicket haul on debut against seven different opponents: three times against New Zealand and Australia, and once against Bangladesh, England, India, South Africa and Zimbabwe each.[6] Of the eleven occasions, Pakistan won the match four times, and drew seven times. The players have taken five-wicket hauls at nine different venues, including six outside Pakistan; three of them have achieved the feat at the National Stadium, Karachi.[7]

Arif Butt was the first Pakistani player to take a five-wicket haul on his Test debut, he took six wickets for 89 runs against Australia in 1964.[8][9] Mohammad Nazir and Mohammad Zahid are the only bowlers to have taken seven wickets each. Butt and Tanvir Ahmed have taken six wickets each and six others have taken five wickets on debut.[5] Zahid took seven wickets for 66 runs, the best bowling figures by a Pakistani bowler on debut, against New Zealand in 1996, at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.[5] He accumulated 11 wickets for 130 runs in the match, the only Pakistani to take 10 or more wickets in a Test match on debut.[10] Amongst the bowlers, Bilal Asif is the most economical, with 1.67 runs per over, and Zahid has the best strike rate.[note 1] As of 2021, the most recent bowler to achieve the feat was Nauman Ali. He took five wickets for 35 runs against South Africa in 2021 at the National Stadium.[5][12]

Abrar Ahmed became the first Pakistani bowler to five-wicket haul in the opening session of a test match and also on debut.[13]

  1. ^ "3rd Test: Pakistan v Australia at Karachi, Oct 22–26, 1998". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
  2. ^ "Swinging it for the Auld Enemy – An interview with Ryan Sidebottom". The Scotsman. 17 August 2008. Archived from the original on 27 June 2015. Retrieved 30 October 2009. ... I'd rather take fifers (five wickets) for England ...
  3. ^ Pervez, M. A. (2001). A Dictionary of Cricket. Orient Blackswan. p. 31. ISBN 978-81-7370-184-9.
  4. ^ "Statistics / Statsguru / Test matches / Bowling records / Overall figures". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 5 July 2015. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d "Statistics / Statsguru / Test matches / Bowling records / Overall figures (Pakistan)". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
  6. ^ "Statistics / Statsguru / Test matches / Bowling records / By opposition team". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
  7. ^ "Statistics / Statsguru / Test matches / Bowling records / Ground averages". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
  8. ^ "Statistics / Statsguru / Test matches / Bowling records / By year of match start". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
  9. ^ "Only Test: Australia v Pakistan at Melbourne, Dec 4–8, 1964". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 25 December 2018. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
  10. ^ "2nd Test: Pakistan v New Zealand at Rawalpindi, Nov 28 – Dec 1, 1996". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 26 December 2018. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
  11. ^ Williamson, Martin. "An explanation of cricket – A glossary of cricket terms". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 25 December 2018. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
  12. ^ "1st Test, Karachi, Jan 26 - Jan 30 2021, South Africa tour of Pakistan". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  13. ^ "Stats - Abrar's record-breaking debut, and a rare all-ten for Pakistan spinners". ESPNcricinfo. 9 December 2022. Archived from the original on 9 December 2022. Retrieved 9 December 2022.


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