Cricket is a game of margins they say and this is thanks to the unpredictable nature of the sport, especially Test cricket. The longest format of the game is played across 5 days and that’s a lot of time. Hence, there is a chance for a team who are down and out, to make a comeback in the Test and turn the tide, something which is not possible in white ball cricket (T20s and ODIs).
The nature of a comeback can be bouncing back from a mini-setback, be it after a collapse while batting or the opposition has scored a lot of runs. In both ways, Test cricket offers room for the side that is lagging to stage a counter-attack in more ways.
Here in this list, we will see how teams that have been bowled out for a meager score in their first innings turned things around to win that Test match.
Lowest 1st Innings Team Totals to Win
| Team | Score | Overs | RPO | Opponent | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | 45 | 35.3×4 | 1.88 | v Australia | Sydney | 28 Jan 1887 |
| Australia | 63 | 80.0×4 | 1.18 | v England | The Oval | 28 Aug 1882 |
| England | 75 | 40.1 | 1.86 | v Australia | Melbourne | 29 Dec 1894 |
| England | 76 | 36.3 | 2.08 | v South Africa | Leeds | 29 Jul 1907 |
| England | 85 | 23.4 | 3.59 | v Ireland | Lord’s | 24 Jul 2019 |
| England | 92 | 48.0×5 | 2.3 | v South Africa | Cape Town | 1 Apr 1899 |
| Pakistan | 99 | 44.1 | 2.24 | v England | Dubai (DICS) | 3 Feb 2012 |
| Pakistan | 102 | 40.3 | 2.51 | v New Zealand | Faisalabad | 26 Oct 1990 |
| India | 104 | 41.3 | 2.5 | v Australia | Wankhede | 3 Nov 2004 |
| Australia | 112 | 32.1 | 3.48 | v England | Melbourne | 1 Jan 1902 |
| England | 113 | 100.0×4 | 1.69 | v Australia | Sydney | 10 Feb 1888 |
| Australia | 116 | 71.2×4 | 2.43 | v England | Lord’s | 16 Jul 1888 |
| Australia | 116 | 36.2×8 | 2.4 | v West Indies | Sydney | 25 Jan 1952 |
| Pakistan | 116 | 49.2 | 2.35 | v India | Bengaluru | 13 Mar 1987 |
| Sri Lanka | 117 | 34.2 | 3.4 | v Australia | Pallekele | 26 Jul 2016 |
Key Stats
45 – The lowest recorded first innings score but yet was enough to secure a win for the side. It was England who won even after getting bowled for 45 in an Ashes Test match against Australia at Sydney in 1887. It is also the only time where a team gets bowled out for under 50 in the first innings earning a win.
34 – The number of times a team has won a Test match after being bowled out for 150 or less in their first innings. This number reduces to 16 when we take into account the first innings total to be 125 or less.
5 – England has had 5 wins in Test matches when they have been bowled out for less than 100 in their first innings. They won twice each against Australia and South Africa, while one of them came against Ireland. Australia and Pakistan are the only other sides to win a Test match after being bundled out for a sub-100 run total in the first innings.
6 – Australia have lost a Test match 6 times after bowling out their opposition under 125 in the first innings, with England coming in next with 4 instances.
Read the story on: When Pakistan Lost by an Innings After Scoring 500+ Runs!
