Teams that have lost 5 wickets for 12 or less runs in an innings

Teams that have lost 5 wickets for 12 or less runs in an innings: The ongoing India-South Africa series has probably seen dream wickets for the spinners, but that dream has materialized only for the Indians while their South African counterparts still manage to look average. Nagpur is hosting the 3^rd Test match of the Freedom Series and as expected the wicket was dry and with a lot of assistance for the spinners.

India was bowled out for 215 in the 1^st innings in which the Protea spinners Simon Harmer, Imran Tahir and part-timer Dean Elgar shared 6 wickets. In reply the Indian spin trio of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Amit Mishra bowled South Africa out for just 79 runs as all the batsmen looked clueless on a wicket that tuned it for the spinners to set the dancing tunes.

Ashwin got 5 South Africans out giving away 32 runs, his 14^th 5-wicket haul in Tests. Jadeja got one less and spent a run, more while Mishra in his 3 overs scalped a wicket. During the innings the Proteas lost half of their side while they added only 12 runs to the scoreboard and that lists them among the Top 5 teams that have lost 5 wickets for 12 or less runs.

Here is the table of the teams that have lost 5 wickets for 12 or less runs in an innings:

Five South African batsmen got out with the addition of just 12 runs to the team score in the 1^st innings. This made it the second occasion when a team lost 5 of their batsmen for a dozen runs, first and the only incident until today was when it happened to Zimbabwe against New Zealand at Napier on 26^th January 2012.

Along with these there have also been a couple of incidents in Test cricket history where a team has lost half the side for a single digit score. It first happened to Australia in 1888 when England got five of their batsmen out while they could put on a meager 7 runs on the board. The second time it reoccurred, India was at the receiving end as the English bowlers proved too hot for them and 5 of their wickets folded for just 6 runs. This happened at the Oval on 14^th August 1952.

South Africa with their performance today recorded their worst, their previous lowest was 5 for 14 against Australia at Cape Town in November 1902. This also marked the first occasion when a team lost half of its side so cheaply against India. The Indian team is also the only team to have been at the receiving end and at the other side of the table.

Stats by HR Gopal Krishna Cricket Statistician.

(Also Watch: R Ashwin bowls the ball of the year to Simon Harmer)