There are few things more embarrassing in cricket than getting bowled out for next to nothing. The West Indies experienced just that during their third Test against Australia in July 2025, collapsing to a stunning 27 all out in just 14.3 overs. The West Indies 27 all out demolition job now ranks as the second lowest total in Test history and reignites the conversation around the worst-ever batting meltdowns in the game.
Cricket has witnessed some truly abysmal batting collapses over its long history. Fans often ask: who made the lowest total in Test cricket? The dubious honor belongs to New Zealand, who were bowled out for just 26 runs in 1955 – the lowest Test total ever recorded. Now, in July 2025, the West Indies have joined the unwanted list of teams with the lowest totals in Tests after an Australian bowling masterclass skittled them for 27. In this article, we look at the five lowest total in Test match innings of all time, each a case of extreme batting failure. These infamous performances (from 1896 to 2025) include record-low scores and dramatic circumstances that cricket teams would rather forget.
Below is a list of the lowest totals in Tests, including brief match contexts, standout bowling efforts, and why these innings went down in history.
| Rank | Team | Score | Overs | Opposition | Venue | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Zealand | 26 | 27.0 | England | Auckland | 1955 |
| 2 | West Indies | 27 | 14.3 | Australia | Kingston | 2025 |
| 3 | South Africa | 30 | 18.4×5 | England | Gqeberha | 1896 |
| 4 | South Africa | 30 | 12.3 | England | Birmingham | 1924 |
| 5 | South Africa | 35 | 22.4×5 | England | Cape Town | 1899 |
New Zealand holds the record for the lowest total in a Test innings. In March 1955 at Eden Park, Auckland, the Kiwis were skittled for 26 runs in their second innings against England. No team before or since has been bowled out for fewer. In that innings, four batsmen made ducks and only one player reached double figures – Bert Sutcliffe top-scored with 11. England’s bowling, led by Bob Appleyard (4 for 7), exploited a damp, treacherous pitch to wreak havoc. New Zealand collapsed in just 27 overs and lost the Test by an innings and 20 runs. This 26 all out remains the lowest ever total in Test cricket history and has now lasted over 70 years.
In July 2025, West Indies crashed to 27 all out, the second-lowest Test total ever. This carnage unfolded in Kingston during a day-night Test, with Australia’s pace attack running riot. Chasing 204, the West Indies innings lasted only 14.3 overs as seven batters were dismissed for ducks – the first time a Test innings has seen 7 ducks. Left-arm quick Mitchell Starc produced a devastating opening burst, taking three wickets in the very first over and claiming a five-for in just 15 balls, the fastest five-wicket haul in Test history. Starc finished with 6 for 9, including his 400th Test wicket, while Scott Boland took a hat-trick at the other end. Boland’s hat-trick left West Indies tottering at 26 for 9 – momentarily tying the lowest ever total of 26 – before a misfield allowed a single to push them to 27. Fittingly, Starc bowled the last man to seal the 27 all out, which is now just one run more than the lowest Test total ever. This 27 is also West Indies’ lowest Test innings ever, shattering their previous low of 47.
For almost six decades, 30 was the lowest score recorded in Test cricket. South Africa’s 30 all out against England at Port Elizabeth in February 1896 set the record that stood until 1955. In that match – played on a matting wicket in the early days of Test cricket – South Africa were routed for 93 and 30 in their two innings. English bowler George Lohmann was virtually unplayable; he took 8 wickets for just 7 runs in the 30-run innings and 15 wickets in the match. No South African batsman made more than 10 runs, and the team was rolled in just 18.4 overs. England won by 288 runs, and South Africa’s total of 30 was the lowest Test total ever at the time.
South Africa astonishingly hit the rock-bottom figure of 30 a second time, 28 years later. In June 1924 at Edgbaston, the touring South African side was blown away for 30 all out in just 12.3 overs – only 75 balls. This remains the shortest completed Test innings by balls bowled. Not a single South African batsman reached double digits – incredibly, the highest score was 11 extras; no batter made more than 7 runs. England’s opening bowlers Arthur Gilligan and Maurice Tate needed only one spell each to do the damage, taking 6 for 7 and 4 wickets respectively. South Africa’s 30 equaled their own 1896 record for lowest Test total, and it remains the only Test innings in history where no batter scored 10 or more. Although South Africa recovered to post 390 in the follow-on innings, the early collapse for 30 had doomed them – they lost by an innings and 18 runs.
The fifth entry on this unwanted list is 35 all out by South Africa, made against England at Newlands, Cape Town in April 1899. In that 3-day Test, South Africa were set 246 runs to win in the final innings. Instead, they crumbled to 35 all out, handing England victory by 210 runs. This dismal total was, at the time, the second-lowest Test total on record, behind only the 30 of 1896. English bowlers Schofield Haigh and Albert Trott ran through the South African lineup, with Haigh taking 6 for 11 and Trott 4 for 19. The innings lasted 22.4 five-ball overs (about 114 balls) before South Africa were all out. It was a startling collapse, especially since South Africa had bowled England out for just 92 in the first innings. The 35-run total stood as a historical low benchmark until the flurry of even lower scores in the 20th century.
ALSO READ:
New Zealand — 26 all out vs England in 1955.
New Zealand’s 26 remains the all-time low.
Not quite. They were all out for 27 on July 14m, 2025 vs Australia in the pink-ball Test — just one run above the record.
South Africa — appearing three times in the top five.
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