The most ducks a team has registered in a single Test innings is six. While multiple teams have, unwillingly, logged the feat on their record books at some point or the other, no international team has done it more times than the Bangladesh cricket team.
Bangladesh have recorded the most (six) ducks in a Test innings (six) thrice in their short history in Test cricket. While the first instance was back in 2002, the Tigers achieved the unsavoury record twice more in 2022.
In the first innings of the ongoing first Test against West Indies, the visiting Tigers were bowled out for 103 runs as six batters failed to notch a single run on the scoreboard.
This is the second time this year that Bangladesh have registered six ducks in a Test innings. Earlier in the second Test against Sri Lanka which began in May 2022, Bangladesh batted first and went on to register a first innings score of 365 all out. However, they saw six batters dismissed for a duck, including Shakib Al Hasan.
Sri Lanka’s Kasun Rajitha dismissed three Bangladesh batters for zero while on his way to register his career-best figures of 5/64 in a Test innings.
Most ducks in a Test innings
|
Team |
Opponent |
Ducks |
Year |
|
Bangladesh |
West Indies |
6 |
2022 |
|
Bangladesh |
Sri Lanka |
6 |
2022 |
|
New Zealand |
Pakistan |
6 |
2018 |
|
India |
England |
6 |
2014 |
|
Bangladesh |
West Indies |
6 |
2002 |
|
South Africa |
India |
6 |
1996 |
|
Pakistan |
West Indies |
6 |
1980 |
Bangladesh’s two instances of six ducks in a Test innings in 2022 comes 20 years after their infamous performance against West Indies in the 2002 Dhaka Test.
Ridley Jacobs’ Windies hit a score of 536 in reply to the Tigers’ first innings score of 139. When Bangladesh came out to bat again, they were bundled out for just 87 runs in 31.5 overs as Jermaine Lawson dismissed five Bangladeshi batters for zero en route to a decisive haul of six wickets for just three runs.
Pakistan are the first team to have registered six ducks in a Test innings.
The team, led by Javed Miandad in the 1980 Karachi Test against West Indies, opted to bat first upon winning the coin toss. However, they were restricted to 128 in 61.1 overs as six batters lost their wicket for a duck.
The Indian cricket team would match the record for most ducks in a Test innings in the 2014 tour of England. With the five-match Test series evenly poised at 1-1, MS Dhoni’s men batted first but had a hard time keeping up with the pace trio of James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Chris Jordan.
Anderson and Broad both dismissed three Indian batters for zero as they would set the tone for an eventual England victory in the Manchester Test by an innings and 54 runs.
South Africa and New Zealand are the other teams who have registered six ducks in a Test innings.
The Proteas, in particular, matched Pakistan’s 1980 record as they lost six batters for zero while chasing 170 in the 1996 Test against India at Ahmedabad. Javagal Srinath (6/21) and Anil Kumble (3/34) were the wreckers-in-chief among the Indian bowlers.
New Zealand joined the list when they bowled out for 90 in the first innings of their 2018 Dubai Test against Pakistan. Ross Taylor, who would go on to become the Black Caps’ leading run-getter in red-ball cricket, was among the six players who failed to score a single run on the scoreboard in the first innings of the Test match.
Author: William Paul
Featured photo: AFP / Indranil Mukherjee
