Back in November 2024, the cricketing powerhouses of Nigeria and Ivory Coast did battle in a T20 international. Nigeria batted first and posted a very impressive score of 271/4 in the game, which was a regional qualifier for the 2026 T20 World Cup. In reply, Ivory Coast were dismissed for just seven runs!
That was the lowest total ever in a T20 international, with the top scorer for the minnows making just four runs. Test cricket is limited only to the 12 nations that are full ICC members, and so, in theory at least, such disastrously poor totals should be impossible. Sides playing Test cricket consist almost solely of full-time pros, and with only 12 nations competing, such massive mismatches do not occur – once again, in theory.
However, a recent clash between Australia and the West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica, saw the hosts humiliated. Already 2-0 down in the series, the Windies were dismissed for just 27 in the fourth innings of the match, slumping to a loss by 176 runs in what was an incredibly low-scoring game.
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West Indies Stunned in Jamaica
Australia won the toss and opted to bat, and as they reached 157/3, they must have thought they had made the right decision. However, fast-forward less than 15 overs and they had slumped to 225 all out. The home side appeared to be in the ascendency, but they managed just 143 in reply on what was clearly a testing surface for the batters.
The game was far from over though, and the home side must have thought they had given themselves a chance when they bowled the tourists out for a mere 121. It took them just 37 overs to dismiss the Aussies, for whom Cam Green top-scored with 42. Alzarri Joseph took five wickets, with Shamar Joseph (no relation) claiming four wickets.
However, what followed, in just 14.3 overs, was utterly dismal from the West Indies, a side not unfamiliar with the odd horror show over the past 20 years or so. Needing just over 200 to win, they were dismissed for 27 runs. Four of their first five batsmen were dismissed for a duck in an innings that contained seven of them. Amazingly, four of those were golden ducks as the Aussie attack simply tore through a stunned West Indies batting lineup.
West Indies 2nd Innings vs Australia (14th July 2025)
| Batsman | Runs | Balls | Wicket Taker |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Campbell | 0 | 1 | Mitchell Starc |
| Mikyle Louis | 4 | 10 | Mitchell Starc |
| Kevlon Anderson | 0 | 4 | Mitchell Starc |
| Brandon King | 0 | 1 | Mitchell Starc |
| Roston Chase | 0 | 11 | Josh Hazlewood |
| Shai Hope | 2 | 2 | Mitchell Starc |
| Justin Greaves | 11 | 24 | Scott Boland |
| Alzarri Joseph | 4 | 28 | Not Out |
| Shamar Joseph | 0 | 1 | Scott Boland |
| Jomel Warrican | 0 | 1 | Scott Boland |
| Jayden Seales | 0 | 4 | Mitchell Starc |
| Extras | 6 | – | – |
| Total | 27 | 14.3 Overs | – |
Mitchell Starc, who was earning his 100th Test cap, ended with figures of 6/9 from 7.3 overs, bowling 40 dot balls! Scott Boland bowled just two overs but took a hattrick, conceding two runs. By comparison, Josh Hazlewood had a shocker, his figures of five overs, three maidens and just the one wicket – costing a whopping 10 runs – really letting his side down!
It was a tough wicket to play on, for sure, but the West Indies just could not handle Starc. The 35-year-old showed he still has plenty to offer ahead of the upcoming Ashes series by once again illustrating his skill with the pink ball. His record in day-night Tests (of which this was one) is dizzying, and the New South Wales man has almost twice as many wickets as Pat Cummins who is next on the list (with 43 to Starc’s incredible 81).
Was this the Lowest Test Total Ever?
As terrible as a score of 27 clearly is, it was not quite the worst total ever in Test cricket. It was, however, the lowest score of the 21st century and indeed for fully 70 years. Overall, it was the second-worst total in Test history and the worst by the West Indies.
Thankfully for this current crop of West Indians, they avoided a very unwelcome piece of history by just one run, with the lowest total in the longest format of the game being 26. New Zealand, therefore, remain bottom of the pile, with their score of just 26 still standing as the all-time Test low.
Back in March 1955, England dismissed the Kiwis for that staggeringly bad tally in a game in Auckland. The hosts won the toss and elected to bat, making 200 in their first innings, with John Reid making 73 from number four. Quicks Frank Tyson and Brian Statham did the damage, taking two and four wickets respectively, whilst Yorkshireman Bob Appleyard took three.
When the home side dismissed England for 246, the aforementioned trio of bowlers accounting for 46 of those runs, they must have thought they were right back in the game. However, somehow, they managed to lose by an innings!
The wickets were once again shared round, with Tyson taking two, Statham three and Appleyard four (Johny Wardle also got one and amazingly all five of the overs he bowled were maidens). Only opener Bert Sutcliffe made double figures for the hosts, whilst the final four men to the crease failed to get off the mark.
England had won the first match of the two-game series and so recorded a 2-0 win, but it was this second Test that made the history books. As far as we are aware, none of the Kiwi side are alive today (records are scarce for some of the team but they would be over 100 if they are alive), so they will not know how close they came to losing this unwanted record.
Other Low Scores
In recent times, such low scores have become less common, in part due to the professionalism within the game and also thanks to the advent of covered wickets. The next three lowest scores, beyond the Kiwis’ 26 and the 27 made by the West Indies, all occurred over 100 years ago. Coincidentally, all three were made by South Africa, against England.
- 30 runs, February 1896 at Gqeberha
- 30 runs, June 1924 at Edgbaston
- 35 runs, April 1899 at Capetown
England’s lowest tally in this format is the 45 they made against Australia way back in 1887, in Sydney. The second-lowest score made by a Test side this century is the 36 that India managed, also against Australia, in a Test at Adelaide in 2020. And for one last fact, the lowest score made by a team that went on to win the Test was 45.
In 1887, in the 25th Test ever, England were bowled out for just 45 in their first innings in Sydney. They made 184 the second time around and, having bowled Australia out for 119, they then dismissed them for just 97 to win by 13 runs. So, next time your side is dismissed for less than 50, remember, the game might not yet be done and dusted.