Test cricket is put forward as the ultimate in skill, patience, and temperament. Five day affair which gives teams time to recover from reverses. But still in this longest format we see dramatic come ups and downs. Through the years, we have seen some shocking performancesthath created underdog stories. Here is a look at 22 teams that recorded very low total scores in Test cricket’s history up until 2026.
In 1955, the New Zealand national team put up the all-time low score of 26 against the English team at Auckland. England’s pace attack did in the New Zealand batsmen in only 27 overs.
In that time frame, we see the 1986 South African team,m which fell to a large defeat at the hands of the English team. This is also very early in Test history,ry we see such a dramatic collapse?
In the 2020 season at Adelaide the Australian national cricket team was dismissed for 36 against the Indian national cricket team which is one of the lowest scores in recent cricket history. That performance shocked the world’s fans into silence,nce which also proved that in moments of grepressurersure even the most dominant teams can break down.
India put up 36 runs agathe inst Australia national cricket team in 2020, which was also the lowest by them in a Test. Also in 2004 West Indies were defeated by 47 runs by England, which was the cleanest bowl out that they had. In another instance in 2013 Pakistan national cricket team folded for 49 against South Africa.
Other which did post mark of under 60 are Bangladesh (43 against West Indies in 2018), Zimbabwe (51 against New Zealand in 2005), Sri Lanka (42 against South Africa in 2024), and Ireland (38 against England in 2019). Al, so it is the case that associate and emerging nations put up low scores against better teams due to tough conditions.
Across cricket’s history,ory there have been over 22 reports of tethathich have been dismissed for 60 or fewer runs. These collapses are often a result of great bowling performances, challenging pitch conditions, or scoreboard pressure in high-stakes matches.
Such small numbers are a pain for players and fans,s which is what makes cricket’s unpredictability a charm. In test cricket, discipline is rewarded,d but also weaknesses are brought out in the open. Also, in 2026, with better training and analysis at our disposal, that large-scale defeat still may happen.
These reports tell us that in Test cricket,e t what really counts is when the ball starts to swing.
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