England Women lost to India Women by 270 runs
England Women have played their first Test match at Lord’s to complete a memorable and remarkable week at the Home of Cricket.
Just five days after ending their T20 World Cup journey on the same ground in front of nearly 30,000 fans, the team were back on the field entertaining even more spectators in a completely different but special format.
And over the course of four days the first ever 11 English women fought tooth and nail in their whites, using a handstitched red leather ball against an impressive Indian team until the visitors claimed victory on the final afternoon.
In doing so, they also ended the international careers of two of England’s greatest female players, World Cup winner Tammy Beaumont and former World Cup winning captain Heather Knight.
Both players had been given guards of honour by the Indian team when their final acts of batting had been completed on day three, which gave a good indication of the direction of travel for day four.
The writing had been on the wall for the home side who had bowled well on day one to dismiss India for 285, but had then found themselves chasing the game as Kranti Gaud’s seam bowling skills stole the show.
Smriti Mandhana had looked like becoming the first woman to have her name etched onto a Lord’s Test honours board, but having fallen for 83 that privilege then fell to Gaud for her 5-37.
Only Amy Jones passed fifty for England as they conceded a 115 run defecit on first innings, and from a position of strength the Indian batters put their team in complete control with Yastika Bhatia scoring the first Women’s Test hundred on the ground.
With Bhatia’s 113 and further fifties from Mandhana and Richa Ghosh, England were left facing an all but impossible chase of 457 when the declaration came at 341-7.
But there had been a genuine high during the innings when Sophie Ecclestone followed up her first innings achievement of becoming the record wicket taker for England Women across formats, with her first Test five-wicket haul at Lord’s and a place on the honours board in the home dressing room.
Ecclestone sent down 55 overs and took eight wickets in the match as she went past Katherine Sciver-Brunt’s tally of 335 on the all time wicket-taking charts, but she wasn’t done there.
With Jones completing a second fifty in the match from the middle order, Ecclestone scored the third by an England player, making exactly 50 before being bowled by Sneh Rana to conclude the match and register a defeat by 270 runs.
Only Test
England Women (170 & 186) lost to India Women (285 & 341-7d) by 270 runs
With thanks to the ECB
