Women's Test cricket has been played since 1934, when England faced Australia in a three-match series. Since that first match, over 130 Tests have been competed. The advent of Twenty20 cricket in the early part of the 21st century has all but eliminated Test cricket from the woman's game. Thirteen players have claimed five-wicket hauls (five or more wickets in an innings) on their debut in women's Test cricket.
The only occasion on which more than one player has taken a five-wicket haul on debut in the same match was during the first women's Test match in December 1934. During this match, three players achieved the feat; Myrtle Maclagan and Mary Spear for England, and Anne Palmer for Australia. Maclagan's bowling figures of seven wickets for 10 runs are the best by any woman on Test debut, and is one of three occasions on which a player has claimed seven wickets on their women's Test debut, along with Palmer and Lesley Johnston. Betty Wilson, who was the fourth player to take five wickets in an innings on debut, is the only woman to have taken ten wickets in a match on debut. Spear's five wickets for 51 runs was the most economical bowling when taking five wickets, conceding just 0.44 runs per over. Conversely, Shubhangi Kulkarni was the most expensive, allowing 4.11 runs per over. Isobel Joyce bowled the fewest overs in her innings when taking a five-wicket haul, six wickets for 21 runs from 11.1 overs.
The most recent occasion on which a player took five wickets in an innings on debut was in July 2007, when South Africa's Sunette Loubser achieved the feat in a match against the Netherlands.
Key Date – Starting date of the match Inn – The innings of the match in which the five-wicket haul was taken Overs – Number of overs bowled in that innings Runs – Runs conceded Wkts – Number of wickets taken Econ – Bowling economy rate (average runs per over) Batsmen – The batsmen whose wickets were taken in the five-wicket haul Result – The result for the bowler's team in that match Won – The match was won by bowler's team Lost – The match was lost by bowler's team Drawn – The match was drawn – 10 wickets or more taken in the match
Bowlers + Five-wicket hauls on debut in women's Test cricket No. Bowler Date Ground For Against Inn Overs Runs Wkts Econ Batsmen Result 1 1 Exhibition Ground, Brisbane Hazel Pritchard Ruby Monaghan Nell McLarty Essie Shevill Kath Smith Lorna Kettels Anne Palmer Won 2 Myrtle Maclagan Molly Hide Mollie Child Joy Partridge Doris Turner Mary Spear Carol Valentine Lost 3 Hazel Pritchard Nell McLarty Lorna Kettels Margaret Peden Peggy Antonio Won 4 Basin Reserve, Wellington Vera Burt Ina Lamason Hilda Thompson Phyl Blackler Una Wickham Vi Farrell Won 5 Eden Park, Auckland Cecilia Robinson Mary Duggan Grace Morgan Megan Lowe Mary Johnson Eileen Whelan Lost 6 Carisbrook, Dunedin Kit Raymond Joyce Christ Valma Batty Norma Wilson Una Paisley Drawn 7 St Kilda Cricket Ground, Melbourne Janice Stead Bev Brentnall Lynda Prichard Jill Saulbrey Pat Carrick Elaine White Jackie Lord Lost 8 Jarrett Park, Jamaica Lorraine Hill Wendy Hills Jan Lumsden Anne Gordon Marie Cornish Drawn 9 M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore Patricia Whittaker Yolande Geddes-Hall Leila Williams Sheryl Bayley Nora St Rose Drawn 10 Colts Cricket Club Ground, Colombo Sadia Butt Deebah Sherazi Asma Farzand Sharmeen Khan Mahewish Khan Won 11 College Park, Dublin Sajjida Shah Khursheed Jabeen Nazia Nazir Kiran Baluch Sadia Butt Mahewish Khan Won 12 Bilakhiya Stadium, Vapi Anju Jain Anjum Chopra Jhulan Goswami Mamatha Maben Deepa Marathe Drawn 13 Hazelaarweg, Rotterdam Violet Wattenberg Marloes Braat Caroline de Fouw Mandy Kornet Jolet Hartenhof Won
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