Instances of five-wicket haul in the opening session of debut Test

Bowlers taking wickets on Test debut is a common scenario. But how often do you see bowlers picking up a five-wicket haul on debut? Rare. How often do you see a bowler picking up a five-wicket haul on debut in the first session itself? There’s not much thinking needed because the list is very short, and there are just four bowlers in the list.
Two bowlers achieved the feat in the 1800s, 1887, and 1890 respectively, one bowler achieved the feat in 1950 and Pakistan’s Abrar Ahmed became the latest entrant in the list as he achieved the feat in 2022. On that note, let us discuss these four instances in detail:

Charlie Turner (Australia) vs England, 1887

Charlie Turner had a great record in the Test format as he made the toughest format of the game look very easy. Though he played only 17 games, he scalped a whopping 101 wickets at a brilliant average of 16.53. He has a total of 11 five-wicket hauls and two 10-wicket hauls. But he was the first one to pick up a five-wicket haul on his Test debut in the first session.

Fred Martin (England) vs Australia, 1890

Left-arm pacer Fredrick Martin only participated in two Test matches, but he managed to find some satisfaction as he recorded a bowling average of 10.07. He produced figures of 12 for 102 against Australia on his debut at The Oval in 1890, which was the finest debut performance until Bob Massie picked England with 16 for 137 in 1972.

Alf Valentine (West Indies) vs England, 1950

Alf Valentine was a key part of the legendary West Indies squad that stunned England in 1950 by winning the series 3-1. In his first-ever Test match, he marked his arrival in style by picking up five crucial wickets against the England players and helped his side get on the driver’s seat. That day, he became just the third cricket to do so.

Abrar Ahmed (Pakistan) vs England, 2022

No player from any team had managed to enter the list since 1950, which was when Alf Valentine achieved the feat. And after almost 72 years, Pakistan’s Abrar Ahmed bowled an impressive spell to make way into the unique list. In the home Test match against England in Multan, Ahmed picked up a total of seven wickets, five of which he scalped in the first session.