Sri Lanka bag plethora of unwanted records with their lowest Test total
Five Sri Lankan batters were dismissed for a duck
DURBAN: Sri Lanka were bowled out for 42, their lowest total in men’s Tests on the second day of the first Test against South Africa here at Kingsmead on Thursday.
Tall pacer Marco Jansen was the wrecker-in-chief as he registered his career-best bowling figures of 7/13 to help South Africa book Sri Lanka on a record low total.
Their previous lowest in men’s Tests was 71 all out against Pakistan in Kandy in 1994.
Lowest totals for Sri Lanka in Test Cricket
42 vs SA, Durban, 2024
71 vs PAK, Kandy, 1994
73 vs PAK, Kandy, 2006
81 vs ENG, Colombo, 2001
82 vs IND, Chandigarh, 1990
82 vs ENG, Cardiff, 2011
Sri Lanka’s 42 is also the second-lowest total in World Test Championship (WTC) history, only behind India’s 36 all out against Australia in December 2020, while it was the joint ninth-lowest overall in the format.
Furthermore, South Africa took just 83 balls to dismiss South Africa, which was the second-lowest number of deliveries bowled to dismiss an opposition in Tests.
The record of taking fewest balls to dismiss an opposition is held by England, who booked South Africa for 30 at Edgbaston in 1924.
A total of five Sri Lankan batters were dismissed for a duck, which is the joint second-most in a Test innings.
Sri Lanka’s batting debacle allowed South Africa to secure a commanding first innings’ lead of 151 after being booked on a modest 191.
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