Bowlers with most fourth-inning fifers in Test cricket
Ravichandran Ashwin starred in India's 280-run win against Bangladesh in the 1st Test at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. He scored a rescuing first-innings ton before taking a match-winning five-wicket haul in the second. This marked Ashwin's 37th Test fifer, now the joint second-most in the format. Ashwin also recorded his seventh five-wicket haul in the fourth innings in Tests.
Rangana Herath: 12
Veteran Sri Lanka spinner Rangana Herath remains the only bowler with 10+ fifers in the fourth innings in Test cricket. He attained this feat 12 times across 41 Tests, snapping up a total of 115 wickets in this regard. Herath averaged an incredible 18.08 and recorded an economy rate of 2.49 in the fourth innings. Overall, the left-arm spinner finished with 433 Test scalps.
Ashwin, Muralidaran, and Shane Warne: 7
As mentioned, Ashwin registered his seventh five-wicket haul in the fourth innings, the joint second-most with legends Muthiah Muralidaran and Shane Warne. Notably, Ashwin is one shy of completing 100 fourth-inning wickets in Test cricket. While Warne has the most such wickets in this regard (138), Muralidaran also has over 100 scalps (106).
Nathan Lyon: 6
Australia's off-spinner Nathan Lyon is the only other player to have recorded six-plus fourth-inning fifers in Test cricket. The Aussie spinner has taken 119 wickets in 60 such Test outings at an average of 27.31. His tally includes an economy rate of 2.80. Overall, Lyon has 530 wickets from 129 matches at an average of 30.28 in Test cricket.
