Declaring an innings in a Test match is an interesting facet. When a captain believes his side has enough runs on the board to outclass the opponent, he can declare his team’s innings closed.
However, there have been instances of teams declaring their innings on the lowest totals. This might be done considering the team has a sufficient lead or wants to get a result in a limited time.
On that note, let’s look at the top 10 lowest innings declaration totals in Test cricket.
Lowest Declaration Totals in Test
| Team | Declaration Total | Against | Venue | Date | Match Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 32/7d | England | Brisbane | 1 Dec 1950 | AUS Won |
| West Indies | 51/6d | England | Bridgetown | 8 Jan 1935 | WI Lost |
| Sri Lanka | 57/1d | West Indies | Colombo (RPS) | 23 Nov 2010 | Drawn |
| England | 68/7d | Australia | Brisbane | 1 Dec 1950 | ENG Lost |
| England | 68/0d | India | Delhi | 23 Dec 1981 | Drawn |
| England | 76/9d | Australia | Melbourne | 1 Jan 1937 | ENG Lost |
| England | 77/4d | Pakistan | Lahore | 15 Nov 2000 | Drawn |
| New Zealand | 79/1d | Bangladesh | Mirpur | 25 Oct 2008 | Drawn |
| England | 81/7d | West Indies | Bridgetown | 8 Jan 1935 | ENG Won |
| Australia | 84/2d | New Zealand | Brisbane | 8 Nov 2001 | Drawn |
Key Insights
32/7d by Australia is the lowest innings total declared by a team in the history of Test cricket.
However, there is one instance of England declaring their innings on the score of zero (0/0d) without playing a ball against South Africa in 2000. But it hasn’t been included on this table, as it was more of a planned decision by both team captains to achieve a result.
There are 2 instances of teams declaring their totals below the score of 100 in a single Test match. Prior to Australia’s 32/7d, England had closed their first innings on 68/7d in the Brisbane Test in 1950. Likewise, in the 1935 Bridgetown Test, England declared their first innings on 81/7 and the West Indies declared their second innings on 51/6.
There are 16 instances of teams declaring their innings on 100 or fewer runs on the board. The number rises to 46 if we take the cutoff of 150 runs.
130/9d is the lowest declaration score in the first innings of a Test match. Pakistan closed their innings on 130/9 after batting 44.5 overs against England in 1974.
