Lowest score in T20 cricket: Ivory Coast hold the embarrassing record

Ivory Coast recorded the lowest score in T20 cricket after they were bundled out for 7 on November 24, 2024.

Chasing 272, Ivory Coast were bowled out in 7.3 overs against Nigeria during an ICC Men's T20 World Cup Sub Regional Africa Qualifier Group C match in Lagos, Nigeria.

Opening batter Ouattara Mohamed (4) top-scored for Ivory Coast while as many as six batters were dismissed for a duck. Earlier, Selim Salau's 112 and fifties from Isaac Okpe (65 not out) and wicketkeeper-batter Sulaimon Runsewe (50) powered Nigeria to 271/4 in their 20 overs.

Earlier, Isle of Man got bowled out for 10 runs on February 26, 2023, against Spain to register the previous lowest score in T20 cricket. It is also the second-lowest team total in T20 Internationals.

Batting first, the Isle of Man batters were tormented by Mohammad Kamran (4/4 in four overs) and Atif Mehmood (4/6 in four overs) and they got bowled out in 8.4 overs. 

Before Isle of Man, the national team of Sydney Thunder held the unwanted record after getting bowled out inside the powerplay. They scored just 15 runs against the Adelaide Strikers in BBL 2022-23.

Turkey, meanwhile, previously held the record of the lowest team total in T20Is. Playing in a Continental Cup match in Ilfov County, Romania, Czech Republic won the toss and decided to bat first. The Czech team rode on a 35-ball hundred from their star batsman Sudesh Wickramasekara to post a mammoth score of 278/4 in their 20 overs, which is the highest score in T20.

In reply, Turkey were bundled out for just 21 in 8.3 overs with Mehmat Sert (12), the only batsman managing to reach double figures. They registered the lowest score in T20 Internationals and slumped to an embarrassing 257-run defeat.

Interestingly, Turkey surpassed their own humiliating record of 28 all out made against Luxembourg a day before. Unfortunately, they were also skittled out for the fourth-lowest total in T20Is, 32 all out against Austria, a day later.

Turkey missed the services of seven regular players who could not make it due to visa issues. “We had to field a make-shift team because we love our cricket,” international coordinator to Cricket Turkey Salman Ali said.

“Some of our players were more than 55 years old. Osman Goker, aged 59 years 181 days, became the oldest player ever to make his debut in international cricket during the tournament,” he added.

Later in September 2024, Mongolia were bundled out for 10 in 10 overs against Singapore in an ICC Men's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier A game in Bangi, Malaysia.

Wicketkeeper-batter Gandemberel Ganbold and Zoljavkhlan Shurentsetseg top-scored for Mongolia with two runs each. In reply, Singapore chased down the target in 0.5 overs and won the game by nine wickets.

Mongolia have also been skittled out for 12, 17 and 26 previously in T20 cricket history.

Among full member nations of the International Cricket Council (ICC), West Indies hold the unwanted record of the lowest score in T20 Internationals. The two-time world champions West Indies were bowled out for just 45 runs by England at Basseterre in 2019. England won the match by a massive 137-run margin.

Meanwhile, the Indian cricket team’s lowest score in T20Is is 74 all out against Australia in 2008. The visitors were thrashed by nine wickets in Melbourne.

In the Indian T20 League, the Virat Kohli-led Bangalore hold the record for the lowest score in the high-profile league.

Chasing just 132 for a win, Bangalore were bowled out for just 49 by Kolkata in the 2017 season at the Eden Gardens. Bangalore remains the only team to be bowled out without putting at least 50 on the board in the Indian T20 League.

Get the list of lowest score in T20 cricket history.

Lowest score in T20

Lowest score in T20: Indian T20 League

Photo credit: Imago