In cricket, a five-wicket haul (also known as a "five–for" or "fifer")[2][3] refers to a bowler taking five or more wickets in a single innings. This is regarded as a notable achievement.[4] As of January 2024, 170 cricketers have taken a five-wicket haul on their debut in a Test match,[5] with nine of them being taken by New Zealand cricketers.[6] They have taken a five-wicket haul on debut against six different opponents: three times against England, twice against Pakistan, and once against India, South Africa, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe each.[7] Of the nine occasions, New Zealand won the match four times, drew three times, and lost twice.[8][9][10] The players have taken five-wicket hauls at nine different venues, including six outside New Zealand; the most recent was taken at Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi.[11]
The first New Zealand player to take a five-wicket haul on Test debut was Fen Cresswell who took six wickets for 168 runs against England in 1949.[12][13] Cresswell, Alex Moir and Colin de Grandhomme are the only bowlers to have taken six wickets each on debut. Six other players have taken five wickets on their Test debut.[6] De Grandhomme took six wickets for 41 runs, the best bowling figures by a New Zealand bowler in an innings on Test debut, against Pakistan in 2016, at Hagley Oval.[6][14] He accumulated seven wickets for 64 runs in the match, the best bowling figures by a New Zealander in a Test match on debut.[12] De Grandhomme and Ajaz Patel are the only players to get the man of the match award on their Test debuts.[14][15] Amongst the bowlers, Bruce Taylor is the only player "to achieve the all-round feat" on his Test debut against India in 1964–65 at Eden Gardens, Calcutta; [note 1] he scored 105 runs and took 5 wickets for 86 runs.[16] Paul Wiseman's five-wicket haul is the most economical, with 1.75 runs per over, and Tim Southee has the best strike rate.[note 2] As of November 2018, the most recent Zealand cricketer to achieve this feat was Ajaz Patel.[6] Moir, Wiseman and Patel are the only spin bowlers to achieve this feat, the others being fast bowlers.[18][19]
