‘6 Ducks and…’: England Become First Team to Achieve Unique Record

England created a strange record during the second Test against India at Edgbaston. This unusual record was registered during England’s first innings of the IND vs ENG 2nd Test 2025. Their top and lower orders failed badly. However, two players, Jamie Smith and Harry Brook, rescued the team with a historic partnership.

Both Smith and Brook stitched together a partnership of 303 runs for the sixth wicket to take their team to a much better position. Both of them registered big hundreds; however, despite their heroic effort, England fell well short of India's first innings target. During this process, they created a unique record as well.

England 6 Ducks Record IND vs ENG 2nd Test

England became the first team in Test cricket history to score more than 400 runs in an innings, even after six of their batters got out for a duck. Yes, you read that right, six ducks and still a total of 407 runs! England 6 ducks record is unique, but it shows the efforts of Harry Brook and Jamie Smith as they bailed their team out of a difficult situation.

Three of the batters who got out on zero were the top-order batters, while the others were the tailenders. England were in deep trouble early on Day 3. They had lost five wickets for just 84 runs. Among them were Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Ben Stokes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, and Shoaib Bashir, who got out without scoring. This was only the ninth time in Test history that six batters were dismissed for ducks in the same innings.

However, it was also the first time that a team with six ducks in one innings still managed to score over 400. The home team finished with 407 runs, giving India a handsome first-innings lead of 180 runs.

Mohammed Siraj, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith Shine on Day 3

India’s pace duo, Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep, were brilliant with the ball. Siraj took six wickets for just 70 runs while Akash Deep supported him well with four wickets. Together, they destroyed most of England’s batting line-up. Only two batters stood firm, Brook and Smith.

Harry Brook and debutant wicketkeeper Jamie Smith saved England with an incredible sixth-wicket partnership. They came together when the score was 84/5. From there, they added 303 runs. It became the second-highest sixth-wicket stand ever for England in Test cricket.

Brook smashed a stellar 158. It was his ninth century in Test cricket. He reached this mark in only 44 innings, the fastest by an England batter since Herbert Sutcliffe in 1929. Meanwhile, Smith remained unbeaten on 184. It was the highest ever Test score by an England wicketkeeper. He broke the previous record of 173 set by Alec Stewart in 1997.

Jamie Smith also achieved a rare personal milestone. He became the first player in Test history to score a century before lunch after coming to the crease during the same session. His 80-ball hundred was also the joint-third fastest for England in Tests. Smith showed calmness, class, and confidence beyond his years. Harry Brook later praised Smith’s performance, calling him “phenomenal.”

Another Record For England IND vs ENG 2nd Test

Other than Brook and Smith, no other England batter crossed 25 runs. Joe Root was the next best with 22. It was truly a two-man show. The rest of the line-up collapsed under pressure from the Indian bowlers. In another unique fact, Brydon Carse’s duck was the 10,000th duck in the history of Test cricket. England has contributed the most ducks to that tally with 1926 of them. Also, Ben Stokes was out for a golden duck (first-ball duck), the first time it happened in his career across 202 Test innings.

Despite the 303-run partnership, England are still far behind as India ended Day 3 with a big lead. The visitors will begin Day 4 with nine wickets in hand and will already be 244 runs ahead. Even though England fought back through Brook and Smith, India remains in a strong position thanks to Siraj and Akash Deep’s early damage.