Test Cricket is about patience and batting time if you are a batsman. The team which accumulates runs in their 1st batting essay, more often than not, will have noses in the front. They can dictate terms as high scores in the first innings ensure the risk of losing the Test match is less, and that is why teams batting 1st aspires to score big & rule out a win for the opposition.
At the same time, there are instances where the Test match is lost for a team on the very first day of the game due to their lacklustre performance with the bat. After this, there is no chance for the team to come back into the contest even though the Test match is played across 5 days.
Here we will sneak peek at the 10 of the lowest first innings totals in the storied history of Test match cricket.
Lowest First Innings Totals in Tests
| Team | Score | Overs | Against | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Africa | 36 | 23.2 | Australia | Melbourne | 12 Feb 1932 |
| New Zealand | 42 | 39.0 | Australia | Wellington | 29 Mar 1946 |
| Bangladesh | 43 | 18.4 | West Indies | North Sound | 4 Jul 2018 |
| England | 45 | 35.3×4 | Australia | Sydney | 28 Jan 1887 |
| New Zealand | 45 | 19.2 | South Africa | Cape Town | 2 Jan 2013 |
| India | 46 | 31.2 | New Zealand | Bengaluru | 16 Oct 2024 |
| England | 52 | 42.1 | Australia | The Oval | 14 Aug 1948 |
| Australia | 53 | 22.3×5 | England | Lord’s | 22 Jun 1896 |
| Zimbabwe | 54 | 31.2 | South Africa | Cape Town | 4 Mar 2005 |
| South Africa | 55 | 23.2 | India | Cape Town | 3 Jan 2024 |
Let’s look into the top five in more detail!
#1 South Africa – 36/10 vs Australia, 12th-15th February 1932, Melbourne
South Africa holds the unwanted record of scoring the lowest 1st innings in Test history. During the era of uncovered pitches, the Australian bowler bundled out the Proteas for just 36 runs at the iconic MCG. Australia’s left-arm spinner Bert Ironmonger wreaked havoc by picking 5 wickets for just 6 runs. If that was not enough, Bert picked another 6 wickets in the 2nd innings as South Africa had a disappointing outing, getting bowled for only 45 runs.
Australia won the game by an innings and 72 runs and clicked the 5-match home series 5-0.
Related: Teams with Most Losses in Test Cricket
#2 New Zealand – 42/10 vs Australia, 29th-30th March 1946, Wellington
Yet another game that happened Pre-World War 2 features in this list of lowest 1st innings totals in Test Cricket. New Zealand, one of the latest entrants back then, had a horror outing in their both batting innings against a formidable Aussie attack. The Kiwis managed to accumulate just 42 runs in the 1st innings, with Bill O’Reilly picking 5 wickets for 14 runs, and their 2nd innings wasn’t any better as they folded out for 54.
In the end, the Aussies won the only Test at the Basin Reserve by an innings and 103 runs in under 2 days.
#3 Bangladesh – 43/10 vs West Indies, 4th-6th July 2018, North Sound
Bangladesh is the recent team to make it to the list when they were restricted to a mere 43 runs at the North Sound, Antigua, by West Indies. Kemar Roach ran through Bangladesh’s top order picking 5/8 in the first session of the Test match. This incredible effort gave the Windies a resounding win as they thrashed the visitors by a massive margin of an innings and 219 runs. They went on to win the series 2-0.
#4 England – 45/10 vs Australia, 28th-31st January 1887, Sydney
To get the 4th lowest first innings total in Test history, we need to roll back to the 25th Test match ever played at the historic Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). This was the 1st match of the 1887 Ashes, and the Aussies were the ones to pile up the misery on the opposition & this time, it was the turn of their arch-rivals, England. The visitors got folded out for just 45 runs.
But unlike the previous 3 games, England(184 in the 2nd innings) managed to win the game by 13 runs as the Aussies could score only 119 and 97 in their 2 outings.
#5 New Zealand – 45/10 vs South Africa, 2nd-4th January 2013, Capetown
The Kiwis made it to the top-5 of lowest first innings Test total for the 2nd time, which came in the 2013 traditional New year Test at Newlands, Capetown. The Proteas bowlers, led by pacer Vernon Philander wrapped up New Zealand innings for only 45 runs thanks to the latter’s efforts of 5/7. In response, SA made 347/8 with the bat, and it was enough to defeat the Kiwis by an innings and 27 runs.
