Rishad Hossain claimed his maiden five-wicket haul (6 for 35) in One-Day Internationals (ODIs) against the West Indies in the first ODI in Mirpur on 18 October. Rishad's career best figure of 6 for 35 ensured an easy victory for Bangladesh, while he became the 15th Bangladeshi bowler to claim fifer in the ODI format. ↳
Before him, Bangladeshi bowlers had taken five-wicket hauls on 25 occasions in ODIs.
Aftab Ahmed: The First Fifer
It took Bangladesh more than 18 years to produce their first five-wicket haul in ODI cricket. The team played their maiden ODI against Pakistan in the 1986 Asia Cup, but until 2004, no Bangladeshi bowler had managed a fifer.
Surprisingly, the historic feat didn’t come from a specialist bowler but from part-time medium-pacer Aftab Ahmed, better known for his hard-hitting batting at the top of the order.
Aftab achieved the milestone against New Zealand on 5 November 2004 at the Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka, returning figures of 5 for 31 from 10 overs. His victims included some of the biggest Kiwi names of the era — Nathan Astle, Hamish Marshall, Scott Styris, Craig McMillan, and Brendon McCullum.
Interestingly, Aftab managed only seven more wickets in the rest of his 85-match ODI career.
Mustafizur Rahman tops the chart
Mustafizur Rahman holds the record for the most five-wicket hauls by a Bangladeshi in ODIs, having achieved the feat five times in his 114-match career. The left-arm pacer’s breakout moment came in his debut series against India in 2015, where he stunned the cricketing world by taking five wickets in his first match and six more in the next.
Mustafizur has taken three fifers against India, and one each against Pakistan and Zimbabwe.
Among spinners, Abdur Razzak and Shakib Al Hasan have each claimed four fifers in their ODI careers. Razzak achieved three against Zimbabwe and one against Sri Lanka, while Shakib took two against Zimbabwe, one against India, and one against Afghanistan.
Taskin also took five wickets in debut
Taskin Ahmed has taken two five-wicket hauls — against India and South Africa. Like Mustafizur, Taskin also marked his debut with a stunning performance, taking 5 for 28 to bowl India out for just 105 runs. That match remains memorable for fans — as much for Taskin’s brilliance as for Bangladesh’s eventual 47-run defeat.
Other Bangladeshi bowlers who have taken a five-wicket haul once in ODIs are Mohammad Rafique, Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, Rubel Hossain, Abu Jayed, Ziaur Rahman, Tanvir Islam, Taijul Islam, Hasan Mahmud, and Farhad Reza.
Rishad Hossain today became the latest addition to this list of Bangladeshi bowlers with ODI fifers.
International legends of the fifer
The record for the most five-wicket hauls in ODIs is held by Pakistani legend Waqar Younis, who achieved the feat 13 times in his 262-match career. Sri Lanka’s spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan is second on the list, claiming 10 fifers in his 350-match career.
Among modern fast bowlers, Mitchell Starc, Brett Lee, and former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi have each claimed five-wicket hauls nine times, while Lasith Malinga achieved the feat eight times in his ODI career.