Most Five-Wicket Hauls in First-Class Cricket

Taking five-wicket hauls involves a lot of strategy and setup to deceive batters. So when a five-for happens, bowlers feel a sense of achievement.

One five-for feels special, but taking many of them is no less than a super feat. And a few bowlers have experienced it in first-class (FC) cricket.

So here are the bowlers with the most five-wicket hauls in first-class cricket.

Bowlers with Most 5-Wicket Hauls in FC

Player	Span	Mat	Wkts	BBI	Avg	Econ	SR	5W/10W
Tich Freeman	1914-1936	592	3776	10/53	18.42	2.69	40.9	386/140
Wilfred Rhodes	1898-1930	1110	4204	9/24	16.72	2.27	44.1	287/68
Charlie Parker	1903-1935	635	3278	10/79	19.46	2.43	47.9	277/91
Jack Hearne	1888-1923	639	3061	9/32	17.75	2.25	47.1	255/66
Tom Goddard	1922-1952	593	2979	10/113	19.84	2.49	47.7	251/86
W.G. Grace	1865-1908	870	2809	10/49	18.14	2.45	44.4	240/64
Alec Kennedy	1907-1936	677	2874	10/37	21.23	2.42	52.4	225/45
Colin Blythe	1899-1914	439	2503	10/30	16.81	2.43	41.3	218/71
George Dennett	1903-1926	401	2151	10/40	19.82	2.59	45.8	211/57
Tom Richardson	1892-1905	358	2104	10/45	18.43	2.94	37.5	200/72
Johnny Briggs	1879-1900	535	2221	10/55	15.95	2.12	45.0	200/52
Tony Lock	1946-1971	654	2844	10/54	19.23	2.18	52.8	196/50
Maurice Tate	1912-1937	679	2784	9/71	18.16	2.01	54.0	195/44
Derek Shackleton	1948-1969	647	2857	9/30	18.65	2.01	55.6	194/38
Jack White	1909-1937	472	2355	10/76	18.58	2.02	54.9	193/58

Key Insights on Record Five-Wicket Hauls in First-Class Cricket

All-Time Five-Wicket Haul Records in FC Cricket

Alfred Freeman has taken the most five-wicket hauls in first-class cricket. He claimed 386 five-fors across 592 matches.

Freeman also leads the ten-wicket hauls chart, with 140 such spells in his FC career. No other bowler has more than 100 ten-fors.

Freeman has also picked up the most consecutive five-fors in FC cricket, taking 10 in a row.

Wilfred Rhodes, who is second on the five-wicket hauls chart, leads the wicket-taking list in FC cricket. He picked up 4204 wickets in 1110 matches.

Muttiah Muralitharan has bagged the most five-wicket hauls and ten-wicket hauls in Test cricket. He picked up 67 five-fors and 22 ten-fors in 133 matches (230 innings) for Sri Lanka. The off-spinner took 119 five-fors in his FC career.

Best Bowling Figures and Unique Feats in FC Cricket

Hedley Verity has logged the best bowling returns in an FC innings. He had figures of 10 for 10 for Yorkshire against Nottinghamshire in the 1932 County Championship.

New Zealand’s Brett Randell created history in early 2026 by taking five wickets off five consecutive balls in FC cricket. He achieved the record for Central Districts against Northern Districts in the 2025-26 Plunket Shield. (Relive Brett Randell’s unique feat here.)

Youngest and Oldest Five-fors in FC Cricket

Pakistan’s Mushtaq Mohammad is the youngest bowler to claim a five-wicket haul in FC cricket. He took 5 for 28 for Karachi Whites against Sind in the 1956-57 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy at the age of 13 years and 43 days.

Pakistan’s Zulfiqar Butt bagged seven five-wicket hauls before turning 17, the most by a bowler in FC cricket.

William Lillywhite is the oldest bowler to take a five-wicket haul in FC cricket. He was 58 years and 46 days old when he returned with a six-for while playing for Over 36 against Under 36 at Lord’s in 1850.

Lillywhite claimed 77 five-wicket hauls after turning 50, the most by a bowler in FC cricket.