Pakistan seamer Mohammad Abbas took his 56th five-wicket haul in first-class cricket during the first Test against Bangladesh in Mirpur on Saturday (May 9).
Mohammad Abbas takes 56th career five-for in Mirpur Test
The first of two Tests got underway on Friday (May 8), with the visitors winning the toss and electing to field first on a pitch with a tinge of green on it. Shaheen Shah Afridi provided an early breakthrough, getting Mahmudul Hasan Joy to nick behind for eight before Hasan Ali dismissed Shadman Islam for 13.
Bangladesh's middle-order ensured they were in a solid position by stumps though; Mominul Haque (91) and captain Najmul Hossain Shanto (101) did the bulk of the scoring to take them to 301-4.
Read more: Bradman, Headley, Shanto: The best 50-to-100 conversion rates in Test cricket
Abbas had taken only one wicket on day one, getting Shanto lbw after a successful review. But he struck thrice in the first session on Saturday – Litton Das mistimed a pull to mid-on, Mehidy Hasan Miraz nicked one to the cordon and Taijul Islam's attempted pull shot only resulted in an edge to the keeper. After lunch, Abbas completed a five-for as Ebadot Hossain flailed at a bouncer only to offer a simple catch to keeper Mohammad Rizwan. He finished with figures of 5-92 in 34 overs as Bangladesh posted 413.
1st Test, Bangladesh vs Pakistan
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This was Abbas' 56th five-wicket haul in first-class cricket, putting him level with R Ashwin and James Anderson on the all-time list. Among those who have played first-class cricket in 2026, only Malinda Pushpakumara (86) and Simon Harmer (59) have taken more than this trio. Anderson is currently in action in the County Championship for Lancashire, so both he and Abbas could add to their tally in the next couple of days.
The all-time record is held by Alfred 'Tich' Freeman, who took 386 five-fors between 1914 and 1936. The next highest is Wilfred Rhodes' 287, in a career spanning 32 years from 1898 to 1930.
Most five-fors in first-class cricket (active players)
| Name | 5WI | Wickets | First-class debut |
| Malinda Pushpakumara | 86 | 1,010 | 2006/07 |
| Simon Harmer | 59 | 1,038 | 2009/10 |
| James Anderson | 56 | 1,168^ | 2002 |
| R Ashwin* | 56 | 779 | 2006/07 |
| Mohammad Abbas | 56 | 880^ | 2008/09 |
| Imran Tahir* | 53 | 784 | 1996/97 |
*Ashwin and Tahir are active in other formats, but have not played first-class cricket since 2024 and 2017 respectively.
^Abbas and Anderson are participating in ongoing first-class matches.
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