Which is the lowest score in cricket history
Cricket is a popular sport worldwide, particularly in countries such as India, Australia, England and South Africa. Fans of the game often delve into its intricacies, not just enjoying the sport itself but analysing statistics about everything from batting averages to the highest scores ever made. One interesting question that comes up quite often however is: What is the lowest score in cricket history?
Understanding Scoring
Before we explore the answer to this question, it’s important to understand how scoring works in cricket. Each team has two innings within which they try to accumulate runs. These can be acquired either by batters hitting the ball and running between wickets or through various penalties incurred by the fielding team known as extras.
The Lowest Team Score in Test Cricket
Test cricket is recognised as the highest standard of cricket due to its tactical depth and endurance demands on players. In terms of test matches, a distressingly unforgettable day for New Zealand occurred on 28th July 1955 when they were rolled over by England for only 26 runs at Eden Park in Auckland. This is recorded as the lowest total in an inning in Test cricket till date.
Detailed Scorecard
In more detail, each New Zealander who went to bat that day failed significantly – ten out of eleven didn’t even make it to double-digit numbers individually. The majority were victims of England’s trio of bowlers Frank Tyson, Brian Statham and Bob Appleyard who took three wickets each.
Lowest Scores in One-Day Internationals (ODIs)
One-day International (ODI) is another significant format of cricket where each team gets a maximum of 50-overs per side. The lowest total here goes to Zimbabwe with their modest score of 35 against Sri Lanka in Harare on April 25th, 2004.
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Why such a Low Score?
This defeat was attributed to Sri Lanka’s bowler Muralitharan who took 8 wickets conceding only 19 runs. He, with the help of Vaas who collected two wickets, dismissed all Zimbabwean players within 18 overs.
A look at Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is)
When it comes to the shortest official form of cricket – T20I, where each side plays for 20 overs, unbelievably, Turkey holds the lowest total record in this format – being all-out for just 21 against Czech Republic on August 30th, 2019.
The Lowest Individual Scoring Record
While team scores are often discussed, another statistic that creates interest is individual scoring records. Chris Martin of New Zealand is notorious here as he has more ducks (complete innings without scoring) than any other test player in history – a total of 36.
An Unwanted Record
Termed “The Walking Wicket”, Martin had a dubious career strike-rate of just over five runs per innings making him hold an unwanted record in cricket history.
In conclusion, even though cricket usually revolves around high scores and mighty boundaries, these instances depict unforgettable days when things did not go as planned for batting sides. Although low scores make hard reading for fans, they nonetheless contribute to the fascinating realm of statistics that underlines this great sport.
