Test cricket can test one’s ability. There are only very few who come out as successful Test cricketers.
Picking five wickets in a Test innings or ten wickets in a Test match comes in the same category of a challenging task.
Anil Kumble came out with 10 in a Test innings! That’s rare! Three times in 140 years rare!
I really enjoy bringing stats together in Cricket. And that of Test cricket brings more fun.
And here is the one which a Sri Lankan bowler tops with a mighty lead from the players in the list.
Muttiah Muralitharan has added 800 Test wickets to his name and tops the lists of both the most 5-wicket hauls & most 10-wicket hauls in Test cricket.
You can find the Indian list of bowlers with the same milestones here.
Below is the top 10 bowlers with most 5-fors in Test cricket.
Most 5 Wickets in Test Cricket
| PLAYERS | 5 WICKETS | MATCHES | INNINGS | WICKETS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Muttiah Muralitharan (SL) | 67 | 133 | 230 | 800 |
| Shane Warne (AUS) | 37 | 145 | 273 | 708 |
| Richard Hadlee (NZ) | 36 | 86 | 150 | 431 |
| Ravichandran Ashwin (IND) | 36 | 100 | 189 | 516 |
| Anil Kumble (IND) | 35 | 132 | 236 | 619 |
| Rangana Herath (SL) | 34 | 93 | 170 | 433 |
| James Anderson (ENG) | 32 | 188 | 350 | 704 |
| Glenn McGrath (AUS) | 29 | 124 | 243 | 563 |
| Ian Botham (AUS) | 27 | 102 | 168 | 383 |
| Dale Steyn (SA) | 26 | 93 | 171 | 439 |
Stats Insights
Muttiah Muralitharan holds the record for the most five-wicket hauls in Test cricket – 67.
One can see the complete sway of spinners in the list. Four of the top-5 places go to the spinners.
The 3rd ranked player, Richard Hadlee, a New Zealand All-rounder, is the leading fast bowler to pick most 5-fers in a Test innings – 36. And he was the 1st player to pick 400 Test wickets in International cricket.
Ravichandran Ashwin is the one bowler marching steadily to the top. But with him closing 37 years of age, I doubt he can reach the mighty 67 5-wicket hauls of Muralitharan. Murali’s record looks unbreakable. I couldn’t find any current players close to the radar to reach his mark.
As of 2024, 169 players have taken 5-wicket hauls in an innings in their debut Test match, the latest being Shamar Joseph of West Indies against Australia.
Nine debutants have taken 5-wickets in both innings of a Test match. Fred Martin of England was the 1st, and Sri Lanka’s Prabath Jayasuriya was the latest to do so.
