Top 5: Bowlers with Most Five-Wicket Hauls in Test Cricket

Spinners have dominated the list of the most five-wicket hauls in Test cricket. Muttiah Muralitharan has taken the most five-wicket (67) hauls in Test cricket.

In this article, we will talk about the top 5 bowlers with the most five-wicket hauls in Test cricket.

5. Anil Kumble (India)

Former Indian leg spinner Anil Kumble took 35 five-wicket hauls in his 132-match Test career. Kumble took a total of 619 wickets at an average of 29.6 and a strike rate of 66.

The leg spinner also took 8 ten-wicket hauls in a match, and he also holds the record for picking up 10 wickets in a single Test innings, a feat that he achieved against Pakistan in 1999.

Playing at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, Kumble took 4 wickets in the first innings. And when India gave Pakistan a target of 384 runs to chase down in the fourth innings, Kumble ran through the whole Pakistani batting lineup. Pakistan were bundled out for 207 runs, losing the match by 172 runs.

4. Ravichandran Ashwin (India)

Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has taken more than 36 five-wicket hauls. The off-spinner has played around 100 Test matches, taking more than 500 Test wickets, averaging less than 24 with the ball, and a strike rate of around 50.

Ashwin’s best bowling figures of 7/59 in an innings of a Test match came against New Zealand in 2016. India gave New Zealand a target of 474 runs, and Ashwin took 7 wickets. His first wicket was of experienced batter Ross Taylor, and Ashwin took the last four wickets in a span of 12 overs.

3. Sir Richard Hadlee (New Zealand)

Sir Richard Hadlee, a former right-arm pacer of New Zealand, took 36 five-wicket hauls from 86 matches. He took a total of 431 wickets at an average of 22 and a strike rate of 51. Sir Hadlee also has 9 ten-wicket hauls in Tests.

Hadlee’s best figures of 15/123 in a Test match came when New Zealand beat Australia by 41 runs and an innings in the year 1985 at Brisbane. Sir Hadlee picked up 9 wickets for 52 runs in the first innings, helping New Zealand bowl out the Aussies for 179 runs.

Then, New Zealand went on to score 533/7 runs in their second innings and won the match by dismissing Australia for 333 runs. This time, Hadlee picked up 6 wickets for 71 runs.

2. Shane Warne (Australia)

The late Australian spinner Shane Warne took 37 five-wicket hauls in his 145-match Test career. The leg spinner took a total of 708 wickets at an average of 25.4 and a strike rate of 57.5. Shane Warne also holds the record for picking up the most wickets for Australia in Test cricket.

Warne’s best figures in a Test match innings came against England at Brisbane in 1994. Australia, batting first, put up a total of 426 runs and bowled out England for 167 runs, with Warne taking 3 wickets.

In the fourth inning, England had to chase 507 runs, which they failed to do, with Shane Warne picking up 8 wickets for 71 runs. Australia won the match by 184 runs.

1. Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka)

Muttiah Muralitharan took 67 five-wicket hauls in Test cricket, a record that seems to be unbreakable. The off-spinner played 133 matches, picking up 800 wickets at an average of 22.7 and a strike rate of 55. Muralitharan also has 22 ten-wicket hauls to his name.

The former Sri Lankan spinner bowled his best bowling figures of 9/51 in a Test match innings against Zimbabwe in 2002. Sri Lanka won the match by 94 runs and an innings.