Bowling Records

List: 10-Wicket Hauls in Debut Test Match

Test debuts are always special for a cricketer, irrespective of whether they bat or ball, and performing well on that big occasion will be the icing on the cake.

A memorable performance in a Test can be scoring a big century or coming up with a timely knock if you are a batter. And on the bowling front, there is nothing better than a 5-fer in an innings or 10-wicket match haul.

To achieve one or more of the above on their Test debut is a high level of eliteness, a feat only a few cricketers have accomplished. It takes a lot of calmness, composure, and grit, apart from skill, to score a century or claim a fifer on their maiden Test appearance.

Here in this list, we celebrate the bowlers with 10 wicket hauls on their Test debut.

10-Wicket Hauls in Debut Test Match

Player Match Figures on Debut Against Venue Match Date
Narendra Hirwani (IND) 16/136 West Indies Chennai 11 Jan 1988
Bob Massie (AUS) 16/137 England Lord’s 22 Jun 1972
Fred Martin (ENG) 12/102 Australia The Oval 11 Aug 1890
Prabath Jayasuriya (SL) 12/177 Australia Galle 08 Jul 2022
Jason Krejza (AUS) 12/358 India Nagpur 06 Nov 2008
Clarrie Grimmett (AUS) 11/82 England Sydney 27 Feb 1925
Charles Marriott (ENG) 11/96 West Indies The Oval 12 Aug 1933
Alfred Hall (SA) 11/112 England Cape Town 01 Jan 1923
Mohammad Zahid (PAK) 11/130 New Zealand Rawalpindi 28 Nov 1996
Alec Bedser (ENG) 11/145 India Lord’s 22 Jun 1946
Praveen Jayawickrama (SL) 11/178 Bangladesh Pallekele 29 Apr 2021
Sydney Burke (SA) 11/196 New Zealand Cape Town 01 Jan 1962
Alf Valentine (WI) 11/204 England Manchester 08 Jun 1950
Abrar Ahmed (PAK) 11/234 England Multan 09 Dec 2022
John Lever (ENG) 10/70 India Delhi 17 Dec 1976
Hines Johnson (WI) 10/96 England Kingston 27 Mar 1948
Tom Richardson (ENG) 10/156 Australia Manchester 24 Aug 1893
Kenneth Farnes (ENG) 10/179 Australia Nottingham 08 Jun 1934
Gus Atkinson (ENG) 12/106 West Indies Lord’s 10 Jul 2024

Key Insights

Over 170 cricketers from different Test-playing nations have taken a 5-wicket haul on their Test debut. England leads the way with 50+ such bowlers who have breached the 5-wicket mark in any of the 2 innings on their Test debut, while Australia comes in next with 33+ bowlers, and 25+ South African bowlers have taken 5-fer on their debut.

11 of the 170+ cricketers went on to take 5-wicket hauls in both innings of their Test debut. Fred Martin, Tom Richardson, Clarrie Grimmett, Charles Marriott, Kenneth Farnes, Hines Johnson, Sydney Burke, Bob Massie, and Narendra Hirwani are the ones who took 5 wickets or more in both innings of their Test debut.

6 English cricketers have taken 10 wickets or more on their Test debut, the most by any team. Australia comes in second with 3 players taking 10-fer in their debut Test match, while Sri Lanka, Pakistan, South Africa, and the West Indies have 2 representations each.