New Zealand’s 26 remains the lowest men’s Test total

The lowest team innings score in men’s Test cricket is New Zealand’s 26 all out against England at Eden Park, Auckland, on 28 March 1955. England won by an innings and 20 runs. The record still stands as checked on 9 October 2026; West Indies came within one run of it when dismissed for 27 against Australia in July 2025. Historical date · Current records table

Here, “lowest score” means a team’s total in one innings ending through dismissal or with no batter left available. It does not mean a small successful chase, an individual batter’s score or the team’s runs across both innings of a match. An individual can score zero—a duck—but that is a different record category.

The lowest men’s Test innings totals

These are the nine entries below 40 in ESPNcricinfo’s men’s Test lowest-totals table, checked on 9 October 2026. Dates are match start dates, not necessarily the day of the collapse. “1st” and “2nd” refer to that team’s innings.

Team	Total	Opposition	Ground	Team innings	Match start
New Zealand	26	England	Eden Park, Auckland	2nd	25 March 1955
West Indies	27	Australia	Sabina Park, Kingston	2nd	12 July 2025
South Africa	30	England	St George’s Park, Gqeberha	2nd	13 February 1896
South Africa	30	England	Edgbaston, Birmingham	1st	14 June 1924
South Africa	35	England	Newlands, Cape Town	2nd	1 April 1899
South Africa	36	Australia	MCG, Melbourne	1st	12 February 1932
Australia	36	England	Edgbaston, Birmingham	1st	29 May 1902
India	36	Australia	Adelaide Oval	2nd	17 December 2020
Ireland	38	England	Lord’s, London	2nd	24 July 2019

Source: ESPNcricinfo’s lowest innings totals. India’s innings ended at 36/9, with Mohammed Shami retiring hurt—not ten wickets falling. The Adelaide scorecard records that distinction.

How New Zealand were bowled out for 26

The match was competitive before the record innings. New Zealand made 200, including John Reid’s 73, then dismissed England for 246. That left a first-innings deficit of only 46. New Zealand’s second innings never erased it: 200 + 26 = 226, leaving England 20 runs ahead without needing to bat again. Full scorecard

Bert Sutcliffe top-scored with 11. Geoff Rabone made seven and Harry Cave five; the remaining eight batters contributed just three runs between them. There were no extras, so all 26 runs came from the bat.

Four England bowlers shared the wickets:

• Bob Appleyard: 4/7
• Brian Statham: 3/9
• Frank Tyson: 2/10
• Johnny Wardle: 1/0 from five maiden overs

Those figures show why the collapse should not be reduced to one devastating fast-bowling spell. Wardle dismissed Sutcliffe, while Appleyard took the largest share of wickets. Innings scorecard

The opposition and conditions matter too. England arrived after winning the 1954–55 Ashes 3–1. In a later oral history, Tyson recalled a pitch that helped seam bowling, while Reid described New Zealand’s limited first-class preparation before the series. That provides context, not a numerical adjustment to the record. The Cricket Monthly’s account

West Indies’ 27—and why overs need era context

On 14 July 2025, West Indies were dismissed for 27 while chasing 204 in a day-night Test at Sabina Park. Mitchell Starc took 6/9 and Scott Boland 3/2, including a hat-trick. At 26/9, West Indies were level with New Zealand’s record before adding one last run. Kingston scorecard

The totals are directly comparable as runs, but the displayed overs are not:

• New Zealand’s 27 overs in 1955 were eight-ball overs: 216 legal deliveries. Historical account
• West Indies’ 14.3 overs in 2025 means 14 six-ball overs plus three deliveries: 87 legal deliveries. Scorecard

So New Zealand hold the lower-total record, while West Indies’ innings ended much faster by balls. Lowest total and shortest innings are separate measures. Neither, by itself, proves which batting performance was worse after allowing for conditions and opposition. For the broader distinction between individual runs, team totals and match aggregates, see how Test cricket runs are counted.