User:PeeJay/List of England Test cricketers who have taken five wickets on debut

In cricket, a five-wicket haul (also known as a "five-for" or "fifer") refers to a bowler taking five or more wickets in a single innings. This is regarded as a notable achievement. As of 2013, 140 cricketers have taken a five-wicket haul on their debut in a Test match, with 45 of them being taken by English players. English players have taken five-wicket hauls on debut against seven different opponents: 17 times against Australia, eight each against South Africa and the West Indies, four against Pakistan, three each against India and New Zealand, and two against Zimbabwe. Of the 45 occasions, England won the match 27 times, and drew 12 times, the remainder ending in defeat. England players have taken five-wicket hauls on debut at 17 different venues, including 11 outside England; eight of them have achieved the feat at Lord's, the home of English cricket.

Alfred Shaw was the first English player to take a five-wicket haul on his Test debut; he took five wickets for 38 runs against Australia in 1877. Five bowlers – James Langridge, Alec Bedser, Jim Laker, John Lever and Dominic Cork – have taken seven wickets each, nine bowlers have taken six wickets each, and 31 others have taken five wickets each on their debut. Cork took seven wickets for 43 runs, the best bowling figures by an England bowler on debut. He accumulated 8 wickets for 115 runs on his first appearance, against the West Indies at Lord's. Amongst the bowlers, Dick Pollard is the most economical, with 0.88 runs per overs, and Jim Smith has the best strike rate, with a wicket every 9.6 balls. Most recently, the feat was achieved by Graham Onions, against the West Indies at Lord's in 2009; he took five wickets for 38 runs.