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The West Indies’ stunning capitulation at the hands of Australia in the day/night Test at Sabina Park had commentators and fans reaching for the record books to check the lowest Test scores of all time.
It was pure carnage for the home side as Mitchell Starc bagged six wickets while Scott Boland claimed a hat-trick.
But it still wasn’t the lowest score ever recorded. Travelling back in time reveals countless collapses, many on uncovered wickets or mat pitches, yet low scores aren’t confined to bygone eras.
In fact, there are notable collapses from recent years too. Let’s examine the 11 lowest Test innings in history.
1. New Zealand: 26 vs England (March 1955)
- Innings: 3rd
- Result: Loss
It looked like the Windies would beat this long-standing record, but they scraped past it and New Zealand’s 26 all out at Eden Park remains the lowest Test innings total ever.
Facing a fierce England attack that featured Frank ‘Typhoon’ Tyson and Brian Statham, the Kiwis were decimated by a relentless swing bowling assault.
Legendary New Zealand spinner Tom Burtt once said the pitch at Eden Park ‘spoke crickets,’ but the batsmen remained eerily silent.
Pick of the bowlers was Bob Appleyard who cleaned up the tail with figures of 4-7 from six overs as England won by an innings and 20 runs. New Zealand’s capitulation came as something of a surprise given that the first two innings saw scores of 200 and 246.
2. West Indies: 27 vs Australia (July 2025)
- Innings: 4th
- Result: Loss
The infamous Sabina Park collapse. Played with the pink ball as a day/night Test and with a handy breeze assisting the bowlers, the West Indies sank to 27 all out chasing a moderate total of just 202 to win.
Mitchell Starc’s six-for and Scott Boland’s hat-trick made it swiftly unforgettable, though, as it transpired, not quite the record. In cleaning up the home batting Starc didn’t just bag the fastest ever five-wicket haul, he also passed the 400 Test wicket milestone.
The West Indies recorded seven ducks in their innings.
= 3. South Africa: 30 vs England (February 1896)
- Innings: 4th
- Result: Loss
A brutal matting-wicket collapse at Port Elizabeth (now Gqeberha) saw South Africa bundled out for 30. England’s fast bowlers thrived on the uneven surface.
This game, which took place almost 130 years ago, was in the very early days of South Africa’s Test match history, an era when one historian described their game, saying the “bowling was unreliable and the batting worse.”
No matter what you say about South Africa’s batting it was the bowling of George Lohmann that was the cause of all the problems – Lohmann, returned match figures of 15 for 45 with a stunning second innings return of eight wickets for seven runs.
= 3. South Africa: 30 vs England (June 1924)
- Innings: 2nd
- Result: Loss
Another massive South African collapse, this time at Edgbaston. The tourists were undone by English swing bowlers capitalizing on a green top – but it should be noted that South Africa were batting second and replying to a score of 438 from England.
It remains their lowest-ever Test innings in England. Although he played just 11 Tests and took only 36 Test wickets it was Arthur Gilligan, who took six wickets for seven runs, that was destroyer in chief.
He was well supported by Maurice Tate with 4-12. South Africa were streets better in their second knock, with Bob Catterall leading the way with a well-made 120, but a total of 390 was still not enough to make England bat again as they lost by an innings and 18 runs.
5. South Africa: 35 vs England (April 1899)
- Innings: 4th
- Result: Loss
At Newlands in Cape Town, the South African batting lineup buckled badly as they let slip a potentially match winning situation. South Africa had been on the front foot after England won the toss and opted to bat.
A return of 6-26 from Jimmy Sinclair saw the tourists bundled for just 92 to which South Africa responded with 177 for a solid first innings lead.
England’s second dig was much better as they posted a score of 330 to set a challenging target. It wasn’t to be for the home side as they folded tamely for just 35 with tricky off-spinner Schofield Haigh doing the damage by claiming six for 11.
= 6. South Africa: 36 vs Australia (February 1932)
- Innings: 1st
- Result: Loss
In a horribly low scoring game South Africa almost made this list twice as they posted a first innings score of 36 and a second innings return of 45.
Facing Clarrie Grimmett and Bill O’Reilly, the tourists crumbled in Melbourne as they failed to master the bowling of Tasmanian seamer Laurie Nash and left-arm spinner Bert Ironmonger.
The game was almost over inside a day after Australia were also dismissed on day one for 153. The match reached into day three after the second day’s play was rained out, but it didn’t last long as ironmonger worked his magic a second time to end with match figures of 11 for 24. An interesting fact about Ironmonger, who played just 14 Tests for Australia, is that at 45 years 237 days he is the fourth oldest player ever to make his Test debut.
Read next: Scott Boland decimates the West Indies – detailing the 12 hat-tricks in Tests since 2010
=6. Australia: 36 vs England (May 1902)
- Innings: 2nd
- Result: Draw
Another low score in Birmingham – but this game is the only one on the list that didn’t end in defeat for the side that made the low score.
That this didn’t happen here was largely due to the fact that the game was only scheduled to last three days; Australia would certainly have been in trouble if that hadn’t been the case.
England batted first and scored a solid 376 for nine declared following which Australia fell apart at the hands of left arm spinner Wilfred Rhodes.
Opening the bowling, Rhodes claimed seven for 17 as only opener Victor Trumper made double figures. Asked to follow-on, Australia were 46 for two when the game ended.
=6. India: 36 vs Australia (December 2020)
- Innings: 3rd
- Result: Loss
A rare recent collapse in modern times saw India crumbling on a used pitch at the Adelaide Oval during their infamous 2020–21 Australia tour.
The series swung decisively, and India limped out to 36, undone by relentless pace – Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazelwood were all part of the attack that rolled the West Indies for 27 and it is no coincidence that they were also the bowlers in action here as well.
This time it was Hazelwood, with 5-8 who was the chief of nuisance. Curiously India had also posted the top score of the game with a first innings total of 244.
9. Ireland: 38 vs England (July 2019)
- Innings: 4th
- Result: Loss
Ireland’s entry into Test cricket resulted in an immediate struggle. At Lord’s, they were bowled out for 38 as England taught their fledgling neighbours a brutal lesson about Test-level pace and precision.
In a game that swung wildly from side-to-side Ireland had started well by dismissing England for just 85 and then replying with a score of 207. England were much better in their second innings posting a score of 303, which meant Ireland needed 182 to win.
It wasn’t to be as they imploded spectacularly, Chris Woakes taking six for 17 and Stuart Broad taking four for 19.
= 10. New Zealand: 42 vs Australia (March 1946)
- Innings: 1st
- Result: Loss
This post-war Test was another astoundingly low scoring affair that finished in under two days. Playing in Wellington the Kiwis won the toss and elected to bat but were bowled out cheaply with leg spinner Bill O’Reilly claiming figures of five for 14.
Australia was not keen to hang around as they replied with a score of 199 for eight before rolling the Kiwis a second time – this time the home side were all out for 54 as Australia won by an innings and 103 runs.
= 10. Australia – 42 vs England (February 1888)
- Innings: 2nd
- Result: Loss
In the very early days of Test cricket, pitches could be minefields. Playing at home in Sydney, Australia were blown away on a treacherous pitch – another dusty reminder of an era without covers, protective gear, or expectations of permanence.
England batted first and scored 113 before Australia were skittled for 42 with George Lohmann (5-17) and Bobby Peel (5-18), the men doing the damage.
Now long forgotten, Lohmann was an incredible performer in the late 1800’s who still holds a host of bowling records – fastest bowler to 100 wickets, best all-time career strike-rate and an average of 10.75.
Read next: Mitchell Starc’s significant milestone after West Indies destruction
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