STATS: Pakan’s Asif Afridi becomes oldest bowler to bag five wickets on Test debut, breaks 92-year-old record in Rawalpindi | Cricket News

Pakan left-arm spinner Asif Afridi on Wednesday became the oldest bowler in Test hory to bag a five-wicket haul on debut, achieving the feat on the third day of the second Test against South Africa in Rawalpindi.
Afridi recorded the landmark when he dismissed South Africa spinner Simon Harmer leg-before on 10, reducing the visitors to 210 for seven in their pursuit of Pakan’s first-innings score of 333.
Afridi broke a 92-year-old world record held England’s Charles Marriott who picked two five-wicket hauls on debut against the West Indies on successive days at the Oval in 1933. Marriott was 37 years and 334 days old when he bagged the feat, nearly a year younger than Afridi who is 38 years and 301 days old as of Wednesday.
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Afridi surpassed the Pakan record held his current teammate Noman Ali, who claimed figures of 5/35 against the Proteas during his Test debut in 2021.

2025

Asif Afridi (Pakan)
38 years, 301 days – Oldest Ever

Rawalpindi

1948

Hines Johnson (West Indies)
37 years, 259 days

Kingston vs England

1933

Charles Marriott (England)
37 years, 333 days

The Oval vs West Indies

Gap between oldest records
92 Years
From Marriott (1933) to Afridi (2025)

Indian Express InfoGenIE

The remarkable record for the oldest player to achieve a five-wicket haul in Test cricket belongs to the Australian spin bowler, Bert Ironmonger. He was 49 years and 311 days old when he accomplished this feat taking 6 wickets for just 18 runs against South Africa in Melbourne on February 12, 1932.

38 YEARS OLD ASIF AFRIDI GETS A FIFER ON TEST DEBUT! 🤩🙌 pic.twitter.com/phz8KJqVdj
— PCT Replays 2.0 (@ReplaysPCT) October 22, 2025
Afridi’s teammate Noman also continues to hold the record as the oldest bowler to achieve a five-wicket haul for Pakan. The spinner was 39 years and 5 days old when he claimed 6 wickets for 112 runs against South Africa. He set this mark during the first innings of the ongoing series’ first Test, played at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
Oldest bowlers to record five-wicket haul on Test debut

PLAYER
TEAM
AGE
VERSUS
GROUND
YEAR

Bert Ironmonger
Australia
49 years, 311 days
South Africa
Melbourne
1932

Don Blackie
Australia
46 years, 268 days
England
Melbourne
1928

John Traicos
Zimbabwe
45 years, 154 days
India
Harare
1992

Clarrie Grimmett
Australia
44 years, 65 days
South Africa
Durban
1936

Frank Woolley
England
42 years, 242 days
New Zealand
Wellington
1930

From ban to debut
Afridi’s selection the PCB had raised eyeballs after the 38-year-old left-armer was once banned for two years for his involvement in spot-fixing in Pakan’s domestic cricket. However, he was allowed to return after serving just over a year of the ban the Pakan Cricket Board, who had not given any reason for relaxing the suspension. This is Afridi’s first ever international appearance. He made his first class debut in January 2009 and has taken 198 wickets in 57 matches. Afridi has also taken 83 wickets in 60 L A matches and 78 wickets in 85 T20s.