List of international cricket five-wicket hauls by Richie Benaud
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In cricket, a five-wicket haul (also known as a "five–for" or "fifer")[1] refers to a bowler taking five or more wickets in a single innings. This is regarded as a notable achievement,[2] and as of October 2024[update], only 54 bowlers have taken 15 or more five-wicket hauls at international level in their cricketing careers.[3] Richie Benaud, a leg spinner and former captain of the Australia cricket team, played 63 Tests for his country between 1952 and 1964.[4] He took 248 wickets at an average of 27.03, including 16 five-wicket hauls.[4][5] The cricket almanack Wisden named him one of their Cricketers of the Year in 1962.[6] He was inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame in 2007,[7] and into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame as one of the inaugural members in January 2009.[8][9] Leo McKinstry, a cricket writer, in 1998 described Benaud as "one of cricket's greatest legends" and "one of the great all-rounders", and further noted him being the first to take 200 wickets and make 2,000 runs in Tests.[10]
Benaud made his Test debut in January 1952 against the West Indies at the Sydney Cricket Ground, a match Australia won by 202 runs.[11] His first Test five-wicket haul came in the first match of the 1956–57 series against India at the Corporation Stadium.[n 1] He took 7 wickets for 72 runs in the first innings of the match, his best bowling figures for an innings.[12] Benaud took his solitary pair of five-wicket hauls in the third Test of the series at the Eden Gardens. He accumulated 11 wickets for 105 runs in the match, his career-best performance in Test cricket.[12][13] Benaud claimed his 16 five-wicket hauls against five different opponents, and Australia never lost any of the games on such instances. He was most successful against India and South Africa, taking 5 five-wicket hauls against each side.[12] Benaud took his five-wicket hauls at 12 cricket grounds, including 11 at venues outside Australia.[12] As of August 2014, he is thirty-first among all-time combined five-wicket haul takers.[n 2]
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Date | Date the match was held, or starting date of the match for Test matches |
| Inn | The innings of the match in which the five-wicket haul was taken |
| Overs | Number of overs bowled in that innings |
| Runs | Runs conceded |
| Wkts | Number of wickets taken |
| Batsmen | The batsmen whose wickets were taken in the five-wicket haul |
| Econ | Bowling economy rate (average runs per over) |
| Result | The result for Australia in that match |
| * | One of two five-wicket hauls by Benaud in a match |
| † | 10 wickets or more taken in the match |
| ‡ | Benaud captained Australia |
| Drawn | The match was drawn |
Test five-wicket hauls
| No. | Date | Ground | Against | Inn | Overs | Runs | Wkts | Econ | Batsmen | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 October 1956 | Corporation Stadium, Madras[n 3] |  India | 1 | 29.3 | 72 | 7 | 2.44 | Won[15] | |
| 2 | 2 November 1956*† | Eden Gardens, Calcutta[n 4] | India | 2 | 29 | 52 | 6 | 1.79 | Won[13] | |
| 3 | 2 November 1956*† | Eden Gardens, Calcutta[n 4] | India | 4 | 24.2 | 53 | 5 | 2.17 | Won[13] | |
| 4 | 31 December 1957 | Newlands Cricket Ground, Cape Town |  South Africa | 3 | 21[n 5] | 49 | 5 | 1.75 | Won[16] | |
| 5 | 24 January 1958 | Kingsmead Cricket Ground, Durban | South Africa | 2 | 50.7[n 5] | 114 | 5 | 1.68 | Drawn[17] | |
| 6 | 7 February 1958 | New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg | South Africa | 3 | 41[n 5] | 84 | 5 | 1.53 | Won[18] | |
| 7 | 28 February 1958 | Crusaders Ground St George's Park, Port Elizabeth | South Africa | 3 | 33[n 5] | 82 | 5 | 1.86 | Won[19] | |
| 8 | 9 January 1959‡ | Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney |  England | 1 | 33.4[n 5] | 83 | 5 | 1.85 | Drawn[20] | |
| 9 | 30 January 1959‡ | Adelaide Oval, Adelaide | England | 2 | 27[n 5] | 91 | 5 | 2.52 | Won[21] | |
| 10 | 4 December 1959‡ | National Stadium, Karachi |  Pakistan | 1 | 49.5 | 93 | 5 | 1.86 | Drawn[22] | |
| 11 | 12 December 1959‡ | Feroz Shah Kotla Ground, Delhi | India | 3 | 46 | 76 | 5 | 1.65 | Won[23] | |
| 12 | 13 January 1960‡ | Corporation Stadium, Madras[n 3] | India | 2 | 32.1 | 43 | 5 | 1.33 | Won[24] | |
| 13 | 27 January 1961‡ | Adelaide Oval, Adelaide |  West Indies | 1 | 27[n 5] | 96 | 5 | 2.66 | Drawn[25] | |
| 14 | 27 July 1961‡ | Old Trafford Cricket Ground, Manchester | England | 4 | 32 | 70 | 6 | 2.18 | Won[26] | |
| 15 | 23 November 1962‡ | The Gabba, Brisbane | England | 2 | 42[n 5] | 115 | 6 | 2.05 | Drawn[27] | |
| 16 | 6 December 1963‡ | The Gabba, Brisbane | South Africa | 2 | 33[n 5] | 68 | 5 | 1.54 | Drawn[28] | |