List of international cricket five-wicket hauls by Alec Bedser

Sir Alec Bedser was a medium-fast bowler for England in Test matches between 1946 and 1955. Across his career he played 51 Tests, and took 236 wickets at a bowling average of 24.89. Bedser's wicket tally is the tenth highest for England in Test cricket, and he took 15 five-wicket hauls. Also known as "five–fors" or "fifers",[1][2] five-wicket hauls refer to a bowler taking five or more wickets in a single innings. This is regarded as a notable achievement,[1] as of March 2014 only 41 bowlers have taken more than 15 five-wicket hauls at international level in their cricketing careers.[3][4] Bedser's fifteen lies joint fifth in most five-fors for England.

Bedser's 236 wickets was for a time a world-record, which he took from Australian Clarrie Grimmett in 1953 and in turn yielded to Brian Statham ten years later. Bedser took his first five-wicket haul in his debut Test: seven wickets at a cost of 49 runs against India in June 1946.[5] His best bowling in an innings, 7/44, came in June 1953 against Australia at Trent Bridge.[6] This was the first Test of the 1953 Ashes series, a match series during which he took 39 wickets including five of his five-wicket hauls,[7] described as the "spearhead" of England's bowling attack.[8]