A fifer, also known as a five-wicket haul, is an achievement where any bowler takes five or more wickets in a particular inning. It is an excellent achievement for the bowler to take five wickets in a single innings or a one-day international match. In this scenario, the bowler picks the wickets of half the batsmen of the batting side. In the history of one-day international cricket, many bowlers have successfully taken fifers and have made notable achievements. In this article, we will discuss the top 10 most fifers in one-day international cricket.

1. Waqar Younis (13)

Waqar Younis is a legendary Pakistan fast bowler who has the most number of fifers in one-day international cricket. He made his one-day international debut in 1989 and continued to play cricket for Pakistan till 2003. In his one-day international career of 262 games, he has taken 416 wickets which consist of 13 fifers.

2. Muttiah Muralitharan (10)

Next on the list of the most fifers in one-day international cricket is non-other than Muttiah Muralitharan of Sri Lanka. He started playing one-day international cricket for Sri Lanka in 1993 and played his last match in the 2011 world cup final. He has played 350 games in which he has managed to take 534 wickets and has 10 five-wicket hauls by his name.

3. Brett Lee (9)

The third most fifer in the one-day international cricket is in the name of the legendary Australian bowler Brett Lee. He made his debut for Australia in one-day international cricket in 2000 and continued to play till 2012. He played 221 matches for Australia and took 380 wickets in them, with nine fifers by his name.

4. Shahid Afridi (9)

Shahid Afridi, the performer Pakistan captain, is in fourth place on the list of most fifers in one-day international cricket. He started playing one-day international cricket for Pakistan in 1996 and continued to play till 2015. He played 398 matches for Pakistan and took 395 wickets in them with, nine five-wicket hauls by his name.

5. Mitchell Starc (8)

The only current player on the list is Australian bowler Mitchell Starc. He has played 99 matches in his ODI career and has taken eight five-wicket hauls. He started playing one-day international cricket in 2010 and is a very renowned fast bowler for Australia as he has taken a total of 195 wickets in his one-day international career.

6. Lasith Malinga (8)

The sixth most fifers have been taken by another Sri Lankan bowler, Lasith Malinga. Malinga made his International debut in 2004 for Sri Lanka and played till 2019. He had a long career of 226 matches in which he took 338 wickets with a total of 8 five-wicket hauls.

7. Glen McGrath (7)

Next on the list is also an Australian fast bowler Glen McGrath. He made his International debut in ODI cricket in 1993. In his overall career for Australia, he has taken a total of 381 wickets in the 250 matches he played for Australia. He also has seven fifers by his name.

8. Lance Klusener (6)

The 8th most five-wicket haul has been taken by the South African bowler Lance Klusener. He made his International debut in one-day international cricket in 1996 and had a career of 10 years. He retired from one-day international cricket in the year 2004 and had played a total of 171 matches in which he took 192 wickets and also has taken six fifers.

9. Saqlain Mushtaq (6)

Saqlain Mushtaq is the next on the list of the most fifers in one-day international cricket. He made his one-day international debut in 1995 and continued to play till 2003, he played 169 matches for Pakistan in one-day international cricket and took 288 wickets in them. He also has taken six fifers in his overall ODI Career.

10. Wasim Akram (6)

Another Pakistani bowler on the list is Wasim Akram. He has the most number of fifers in one-day international cricket. He started playing one-day internationals for Pakistan in 1984 and continued to play till 2003. He has played 356 matches for Pakistan and has taken 502 wickets in them; this is the highest in the overall list. He has taken 6 fifers in his career.