ISLAMABAD: New Zealand’s fast bowler Ben Sears etched his name into the record books on Saturday by claiming a second consecutive five-wicket haul in One Day Internationals, joining an elite group that includes the likes of Waqar Younis and Mitchell Starc.
In a rain-affected match reduced to 42 overs per side in Mount Maunganui, New Zealand set a formidable target of 264-8, powered by the efforts of opener Rhys Mariu, who scored 58, and captain Michael Bracewell, who dazzled with a brisk 59.
Pakistan’s Akif Javed stood out with the ball, claiming 4 wickets for 62 runs.
The visitors faced an early setback when Imam-ul-Haq suffered an unusual injury and had to be replaced by Usman Khan. Continuing the unfortunate pattern of their tour, Pakistan’s innings faltered as they collapsed to a total of 221 all out in just 40 overs.
Ben Sears emerged as the star of the match, dazzling with figures of 5-34 across his nine overs.
He dismissed Abdullah Shafique and Salman Ali Agha before cleaning up the tail, claiming the wickets of Naseem Shah, Mohammad Wasim, and Sufiyan Muqeem.
This marked Sears’ second consecutive five-wicket haul in ODIs, following his impressive 5-59 in the previous encounter in Hamilton.
He has now etched his name in history as the first New Zealander to achieve back-to-back five-wicket hauls in ODIs and the 14th player overall to do so.
Prior to these two stellar performances, Sears had only bowled twice in ODI cricket, with figures of 0-39 against Pakistan and 0-65 against South Africa, both during the pre-Champions Trophy tri-series in Lahore.
Bowlers to take consecutive five-wicket hauls in men’s ODIs:
| Player | Team | ODI Innings No. | 1st 5WI | 2nd 5WI | Year |
| Gary Gilmour | Australia | 3–4 | 6–14 | 5–48 | 1975 |
| Ashantha de Mel | Sri Lanka | 19–20 | 5–39 | 5–32 | 1983 |
| Waqar Younis | Pakistan | 20–21 | 6–26 | 5–20 | 1990 |
| Waqar Younis | Pakistan | 24–25 | 5–11 | 5–16 | 1990 |
| Waqar Younis | Pakistan | 25–26 | 5–16 | 5–52 | 1990 |
| Aaqib Javed | Pakistan | 134–135 | 5–35 | 5–61 | 1997 |
| Saqlain Mushtaq | Pakistan | 57–58 | 5–38 | 5–45 | 1997 |
| Azhar Mahmood | Pakistan | 73–74 | 6–18 | 5–28 | 1999 |
| Waqar Younis | Pakistan | 211–212 | 7–36 | 6–59 | 2001 |
| Ryan Harris | Australia | 2–3 | 5–43 | 5–19 | 2010 |
| Brian Vitori | Zimbabwe | 1–2 | 5–30 | 5–20 | 2011 |
| Mitchell Starc | Australia | 16–17 | 5–20 | 5–32 | 2013 |
| Mustafizur Rahman | Bangladesh | 1–2 | 5–50 | 6–43 | 2015 |
| Mustafizur Rahman | Bangladesh | 52–53 | 5–59 | 5–75 | 2019 |
| Shaheen Shah Afridi | Pakistan | 18–19 | 6–35 | 5–49 | 2019–2020 |
| Naseem Shah | Pakistan | 3–4 | 5–33 | 5–57 | 2022–2023 |
| Wanindu Hasaranga | Sri Lanka | 41–42 | 6–24 | 5–13 | 2023 |
| Wanindu Hasaranga | Sri Lanka | 42–43 | 5–13 | 5–79 | 2023 |
| Ben Sears | New Zealand | 3–4 | 5–59 | 5–34 | 2025 |
-Waqar Younis and Wanindu Hasaranga are the only players to take three five-wicket hauls in a row in men’s ODI cricket.
-Brian Vitori and Mustafizur Rahman are the only two to start their career with consecutive five-wicket hauls.
