A five-wicket haul is almost equal to a batter scoring a century. It takes a whole lot of deliveries and spells to take a five-for.
And those who do it more often tend to be an integral part of their respective teams. So naturally, they add up more five-fors to their as well as their team’s tally.
So on that note, here are the teams with the most five-wicket hauls in Tests.
Most 5-Wicket Hauls by Teams in Tests
| Team | Span | Matches Played | 5-Wicket Hauls | 10-Wicket Hauls | Best Bowling |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | 1877-2026 | 561 | 726 | 111 | 10/53 |
| Australia | 1877-2026 | 512 | 663 | 104 | 9/121 |
| India | 1932-2026 | 321 | 395 | 57 | 10/74 |
| West Indies | 1928-2026 | 279 | 337 | 35 | 9/95 |
| Pakistan | 1952-2026 | 255 | 320 | 60 | 9/56 |
| South Africa | 1889-2025 | 262 | 316 | 36 | 9/113 |
| New Zealand | 1937-2026 | 214 | 251 | 30 | 10/119 |
| Sri Lanka | 1982-2026 | 171 | 221 | 43 | 9/51 |
| Bangladesh | 2000-2026 | 71 | 90 | 8 | 8/39 |
| Zimbabwe | 1992-2025 | 44 | 48 | 3 | 8/109 |
| Afghanistan | 2019-2026 | 10 | 11 | 3 | 7/66 |
| Ireland | 2019-2025 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 6/57 |
Key Insights on Historic Five-Wicket Haul Records by Teams in Test Cricket
All-Time Team Dominance and Match Spells by Test Teams
England have recorded the most five-wicket hauls by their bowlers in Tests, with over 700 spells.
England are also the only team to concede more than 700 five-wicket hauls in Tests, with Australia trailing them by 500-plus spells against them.
England and Australia are the two teams with 300-plus five-wicket hauls each by their bowlers in both home and overseas conditions in Tests.
The 1902 Sheffield Test between England and Australia had 5 five-wicket hauls, the most by both teams combined in a match.
The 1909 Ashes recorded 15 five-wicket hauls from England and Australia combined. This is the most five-fors recorded in a bilateral Test series.
More than 750 five-wicket hauls have been taken by bowlers in England in Tests.
Innings Breakdown and Pace Versus Spin Records by Test Teams
England are the only team whose bowlers have taken more than 200 five-fors in each of the first, second and third innings in Tests.
Australia are the other team with more than 200 five-wicket hauls in the second innings in Tests.
Australia are the only team with 100-plus five-fors by their bowlers in the fourth innings in Tests.
England and Australia have 400-plus five-wicket hauls each taken by their fast bowlers in Tests.
India lead the pack for the most five-fors by spinners among all teams in Tests, with close to 250 spells. England and Australia are the other teams with 200-plus spells.
England and Australia are the two teams with more than 100 ten-wicket hauls each by their bowlers in Tests.
England and Australia are also the two Test teams with more than 1000 four-wicket hauls each.
Individual Match Milestones and Legendary Spells by Bowlers
England’s bowler has also registered the best bowling figures in an innings and a match in Tests. Jim Laker claimed figures of 10 for 53 in the third innings, while his match figures combined across both innings were 19 for 90 against Australia in the 1956 Manchester Test.
Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan has taken the most five-wicket hauls and the most ten-wicket hauls among bowlers in Tests. He bagged 67 five-fors and 22 ten-fors while taking 800 wickets, the most by a bowler in Tests.
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