5 times teams were dismissed for less than 100 in both innings of a Test
Although cricket is often called a batsman’s game, it would not be entirely wrong to suggest that Test cricket is a game meant for bowlers. Attacking fields and no restriction to the number of overs that can be bowled can turn a bit of help from the pitch into a huge advantage for bowlers. Over the course of Test cricket’s history stretching back to 1877, batting sides have often been dismissed for paltry scores and many of those low scores have made it to the record books.
However, it becomes a different proposition altogether when a team is bundled out for less than 100 runs in both innings of a Test match. The reasons behind such a batting performance can be down to a variety of factors and although it might often boil down to a poor pitch, bad batting is the biggest reason. There have only been 17 such instances and this article looks at 5 of those:
#5 England dismissed for 53 and 62 by Australia at Lord’s, 1888
Australia have one of the best records for visiting sides at Lord’s and even as far back as 1888, they dominated England at one of cricket’s most iconic grounds. It is also important to note that in those days, pitches were often left uncovered and that often gave the bowlers an unfair advantage. In those days, plenty of sides used to get bundled out for low scores but England’s performance was quite abysmal.
It was a low-scoring Test match and after Australia had been dismissed for 116 in the 1st innings, the visitors bundled England out for 53. Seam bowler Charles Turner picked up 5 wickets. However, Australia then crashed to 60 all out and England were left to score 124 runs to win the game. However, Australia’s seam bowling pair of Turner and John Ferris bowled unchanged for 47 overs and dismissed England for 62.