Top 10 Teams With Lowest Test Score

Test cricket is always considered the toughest and purest form of the game. This format of the game had lost its essence in the world of T20 and franchise cricket, but in recent years, with the introduction of the World Test Championship, the interest in the test format has been revived. Test cricket has become more competitive in recent years, where tough competition among the players is seen. There have been many times when bowlers have dominated the batters and gotten them out at a very low score.

List of Top 10 Teams with Lowest Score in Test Cricket

The lowest Test score includes some of the most dramatic batting collapses in cricket history. These records span more than a century and include multiple big teams, showcasing that even the best batting lineups can fall under severe pressure and difficult circumstances. Here is the list of the top 10 teams with lowest score in test cricket:

Which Team Scored the Lowest Test Score?

Test cricket has seen many teams struggling and ending up with the lowest test score, where pacers overpower the opposition batters with the new ball, along with taking help from the pitch as well. No matter the teams adopt a new style of playing aggressive cricket but test cricket is not predictable at all, where even some of the best test batsman in the world fails to deliver. Here are the teams that have scored lowest test scores:

10. New Zealand | 42 runs vs Australia | 1946

In March 1946, the Australian cricket team visited New Zealand for one Test match, which they won by an innings and 103 runs. The match was played in Wellington, where Australia, captained by Bill Brown, dominated New Zealand, headed by Walter Hadlee. There was some debate because the match's standing was unclear at the time, and it was not accepted as an official Test until March 1948.

As a result, instead of the traditional baggy greens, the Australians donned caps and blazers labelled "ABC" (for "Australian Board of Control"). In the first innings, the Kiwis were bowled out for 42 runs, with Ernie Toshack and Bill O'Reilly taking nine wickets between them to dismiss the Black Caps. Verdun Scott was the top run-getter with 14 runs. Australia in reply scored 199/8 and declared. The Kiwis in reply scored 54 runs and lost the match by an innings and 103 runs.

9. Ireland | 38 runs vs England | 2019

The Test match was viewed as a warm-up for the Ashes series for the England team in 2019. It was a historic occasion for the Irish squad, and it took place at the iconic Lord's Cricket Stadium. England won the toss and decided to bat. Things began to go awry almost immediately, with England all out for 85 before lunch in 23.4 overs. England lost six wickets for seven runs, finishing at 43 for seven, with four batters falling to Tim Murtagh.

The pacer became the first Irishman to take five wickets in Test cricket. Despite interruptions due to bad weather, Ireland was bowled out for 38 before the end of the morning session, after only 15.4 overs. Jack Leach was chosen man of the match after scoring 92 runs in the second innings, helping England to score 303 runs in the second innings of the game.

8. India | 36 runs vs Australia | 2020

India toured Australia for the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT). This tour came after India defeated the Aussies during the 2018-19 tour. The first match of the series was a pink-ball test in Adelaide. India looked good after electing to bat first, with Virat Kohli scoring 74 runs. With Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara providing support to the Indian captain. India was bowled out for 244 runs. In reply, Australia fell short as they were bundled for 191 runs with credit to Ravichandran Ashwin, who picked 4 wickets.

Despite having a lead of 53 runs in the first innings, India did not have the start they wanted as they lost Prithvi Shaw early with 9/1 on Day 3. Australian bowlers were all over the Indian batting lineup as wickets fell like a pack of cards, and the Men in Blue were bowled out for just 36 runs, which is their test lowest score. Australia won the game by 8 wickets, but eventually, a young Indian team won the series 2-1.

7. Australia | 36 runs vs England | 1902

In 1902, the match between Australia and England saw another lowest test score. England batted first on what was described as a "beautiful wicket". Johnny Tyldesley scored a brilliant 138, and the Three Lions scored 376/9d. Coming on to bat, Australia fell to Wilfred Rhodes, who took 7 wickets for 17 runs, dismantling a strong Australian batting line-up that included Victor Trumper and Clem Hill.

This collapse happened in the second innings after Australia had secured a first-innings lead. The entire innings lasted just 23 overs, with extras being the top scorer at 8. This match was part of the famous 1902 Ashes series. Australia went on to win despite this setback, showcasing the team’s resilience and determination. For 22 years, a total of 36 stood as the lowest test score by team in England. The match eventually ended in a draw, with the Aussies scoring 46/2 during the follow-on.

6. South Africa | 36 runs vs Australia | 1932

The fifth Test of South Africa’s 1931–32 tour of Australia, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) from February 12 to 16, 1932, is remembered as one of the most one-sided encounters in Test history South Africa after electing to bat first were bundled out for just 36 runs with Bert Ironmonger picking up 5 wickets, and Laurie Nash picking up 4 wickets. Australia, in reply, also did not have the best score as they were bowled out for 156 runs. However, in the second innings as well, the Proteas failed to cross the fifty-run mark and were bundled for 45 runs.

5. South Africa | 35 runs vs England | 1899

An English cricket team, organised and led by Lord Hawke, toured South Africa from December 1898 to April 1899. The team played two matches against the South African national cricket team. England won the first Test match with their full squad. In the second Test match, the English side was bundled out for just 92 runs, with Jimmy Sinclair, who was the star for the Proteas, picking up 6 wickets.

South Africa scored 177 runs in the first inning, taking an 82-run lead, with Sinclair scoring a century. However, England was brilliant in the second innings, scoring 330 runs, and Johnny Tyldesley played a knock of 112 runs. In reply to chase a target of 248 runs, the Proteas could only score 35 runs before being bundled out. The stars for England's bowling were Schofield Haigh, who picked 6 wickets, and Albert Trott, who picked 4 wickets.

4. South Africa | 30 runs vs England | 1924

South Africa won the toss and elected to field. England scored 438 runs, with five batters scoring half-centuries. Maurice Tate and Arthur Gilligan shared the wickets between them, with Tate taking 4 for 12. Captain Arthur Gilligan led the side from the front as he picked up 6 wickets, bowling South Africa out for just 30 runs. The highest individual score was again extras at 11.

This collapse came in the first innings of the match, setting the tone for a crushing defeat. However, during the follow-on, the Proteas scored 390 runs, and England won the game by an innings and 18 runs. The Three Lions eventually won the three-match series 2-0, with the final Test ending in a draw.

3. South Africa | 30 runs vs England | 1896

The team played three matches against the South Africa national cricket team, which were retrospectively awarded Test status. In the first Test match of the series, South Africa won the toss and elected to field. The Proteas shone after bowling out England for 185 runs. In reply, the Proteas scored 93 runs in the first innings, and then England, after taking a lead of 93 runs, posted a target of 318 runs.

The hosts were bowled out for 30 runs as the entire innings lasted only 18.4 five-ball overs, with extras being the top scorer at 6 runs. This match highlighted the huge difference between the established English team and the developing South African side. George Lohmann was the pick of the bowlers in the second innings with 8 wickets in the innings.

2. West Indies | 27 runs vs Australia | 2025

West Indies hit a new low in Test cricket on July 14, 2025, when they were bowled out for just 27 runs against Australia at Sabina Park in Jamaica. It was the second-lowest score ever in Test history and their worst performance in front of a home crowd. The West Indies were chasing 204 to win, their entire batting lineup collapsed in just 14.3 overs, with seven players getting out for zero. Only Justin Greaves managed to get into double figures, scoring 11.

Australia’s bowlers, especially Mitchell Starc, were ruthless. Starc took 6 wickets for just 9 runs, and Scott Boland took a stunning hat-trick. Starc even picked up his five wickets in just 15 balls, making it the fastest five-wicket haul in Test history. It was a shocking defeat that left West Indies fans heartbroken and highlighted how far the team still has to go to compete with the world’s best. The West Indies lost the test series 3-0, and it was their batting that let them down throughout the series against the best test bowlers in the world.

1. New Zealand | 26 runs vs England | 1955

After being bowled out for 200 in their first innings and conceding a 46-run lead, New Zealand faced England’s potent bowling attack under overcast skies and on an excellent bowling surface. During this match, New Zealand struggled to find its footing in Test cricket, where it had been playing the Tests for only 25 years. The innings lasted up to 27 overs, making it one of the most heartbreaking records for New Zealand.

This historic collapse occurred in the second innings of the second Test of England’s tour of New Zealand and remains unbeaten to this day in terms of the lowest Test score by a team in a Test innings. The innings saw no player reach double digits, with Bert Sutcliffe’s 11 being the top score. The game score between New Zealand and England remains the lowest score in Test cricket, with just 26 runs.