In a surprising turn of events during the second Test match against India at Edgbaston, the England cricket team has set a remarkable and unique world record. Even though six of their batsmen were dismissed without scoring a single run, England managed to post a total of 407 runs in their first innings — becoming the first team in Test cricket history to cross the 400-run mark despite losing six players for zero.
India, having posted a mammoth 587 in the first innings, secured a 180-run lead after England’s reply. By the end of Day 3, India further stretched their lead to 244 runs, putting England under immense pressure heading into the final two days of the match. However, amidst the looming threat of defeat, England’s batting line-up managed to etch its name into the record books in an unusual way.
The unlikely feat was made possible thanks to an exceptional sixth-wicket partnership between Harry Brook and wicketkeeper-batsman Jamie Smith. Brook scored a brilliant 158, while Smith remained unbeaten on 184. The duo stitched together a 303-run partnership that rescued England from complete collapse and helped them reach a respectable total of 407.
What makes the achievement historic is that six other England batsmen, including some key players, were dismissed for a duck. Never before in the history of Test cricket has a team scored 400 or more runs with six or more batsmen failing to open their account.
Before this, the record was held by Bangladesh. In 2022, against Sri Lanka, Bangladesh managed to score 365 runs despite six of their batsmen getting out for zero. That innings was powered by a stellar unbeaten 175 by Mushfiqur Rahim and 141 by Liton Das.