The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 letter word NINES
I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
N
I
N
E
S
Buddy explains!

The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does NINES mean?
NINES noun- The digit or figure 9.
- A playing card with nine pips.
- A nine-millimeter semi-automatic pistol.
- (usually in the plural) A statistical unit of proportion (of reliability, purity, etc.).
- A baseball club, team, or lineup (composed of nine players).
- A pair of nines.