Since the inception of T20 cricket, Test cricket has become less popular among fans. But the International Cricket Council has introduced the World Test Championship to make it more interesting. And now every team is trying to give their all to take out the result of the match instead of settling for a draw.
However, being the oldest format in the game, test cricket has seen many extraordinary performances over the years. This format is the real test of the skills, character, and capability of a team and its players. That is why we have seen some teams score tons of runs. But sometimes a team gets all out for a crushing score. So, in this article, we will discuss the list of lowest scores in the Test cricket.
List of Lowest Test Score
| Team | Score | Overs | Inns | Against | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Zealand | 26 | 27.0 | 3 | England | Auckland | 25 Mar 1955 |
| West Indies | 27 | 14.3 | 4 | Australia | Kingston | 12 July 2025 |
| South Africa | 30 | 18.4 | 4 | England | Gqeberha | 13 Feb 1896 |
| South Africa | 30 | 12.3 | 2 | England | Birmingham | 14 Jun 1924 |
| South Africa | 35 | 22.4 | 4 | England | Cape Town | 1 Apr 1899 |
| South Africa | 36 | 23.2 | 1 | Australia | Melbourne | 12 Feb 1932 |
| Australia | 36 | 23.0 | 2 | England | Birmingham | 29 May 1902 |
| India | 36 | 21.2 | 3 | Australia | Adelaide | 17 Dec 2020 |
| Ireland | 38 | 15.4 | 4 | England | Lord’s | 24 Jul 2019 |
| New Zealand | 42 | 39.0 | 1 | Australia | Wellington | 29 Mar 1946 |
| Australia | 42 | 37.3 | 2 | England | Sydney | 10 Feb 1888 |
South Africa (30 all out) against England at Birmingham
The lowest score came way back in 1924 in a match between England and South Africa at Birmingham. It was South Africa that won the toss and asked the English team to bat first. England batted really well and scored 438 runs in their first innings. Five English batsmen scored fifty in that innings. But that was not the case with South Africa. They had a horrible batting display in their first innings.
As a result, they got all out for just 30 runs in 12.3 overs, conceding a lead of 408 runs in the first innings. None of the batters crossed the 10-run mark. In fact, out of 30 runs, 11 came from extras. Thus, they were forced to play again for the follow-on. However, they did bat well in the second innings and reached 390 runs, but that was not enough. South Africa lost that match by an innings and 18 runs.
South Africa (30 all out) against England at Gqeberha
Coincidently, both teams were involved in the same scenario with the same score in 1894. It was the match at Gqeberha, and South Africa won the toss and bowled first. England had a bad start and they got all out for 185 runs in their first innings. In reply, South Africa also went through the same struggles and got all out below 100-run mark. They made 93 runs and conceded the lead of 92 runs to England. George Lohmann picked seven wickets in that innings.
With a healthy lead of 92, England batted decently and scored another 226 runs in their second innings. They gave South Africa a target of 318 runs to chase in the fourth innings. But after a bad performance in the first inning, the Proteas had an even worse performance in the second. They were bowled out for just 30 runs in 18.4 overs and lost the match by 288 runs. The highest score was 10 runs from the team. For England George Lohmann picked up eight wickets in the second innings as well.
New Zealand (26 all out) against England at Auckland (Lowest ever in Test Cricket)
The lowest test score belongs to New Zealand and it was against England in 1955 at Auckland. It was the Black Caps that won the toss and elected to bat first. In their first innings, New Zealand scored 200 runs with the help of John Reid (73). In response, the English team scored 246 runs and took a 46-run lead in the first innings. For them, Leonard Hutton scored 53 runs.
However, it looked like the Black Caps, who were trailing by 46 runs, would get the lead soon. But it didn’t happen, and those 46 runs were enough for England to win the match. New Zealand had the worst day with the bat and they registered the lowest ever Test total in their history. They were bowled out for 26 runs with only one batter going past the 10-run mark. As a result, England won the match by an innings and 20 runs.