Lord’s Cricket Ground is set for the first women’s Test as England host India | Cricket News

England host India in a women’s Test at Lord’s Cricket Ground – the first of its kind at the venue.

Lord’s will finally host a Women’s Test, 142 years after its first such match, when England take on India in a four-day series at the “Home of Cricket” from Friday.

“It’s a big surprise to me that it’s the first (women’s) Test match here at Lord’s,” India coach Amol Muzumdar said.

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“It’s a great time, and we’re looking forward to it.”

The match will take place 50 years after the first international women’s match at the famous London venue, when England defeated Australia by eight wickets in a one-day match on August 4, 1976.

England’s captain at Lord’s that day was the late Rachael Heyhoe Flint, who was the first in the women’s game to wear skirts instead of white or colored trousers, as they do now.

Heyhoe Flint, who died in 2017, now has a gate named after him at Lord’s.

But in 1976, the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), the owners of Lord’s, were still decades away from accepting women as members, with the idea of ​​women walking straight into the Long Pavilion a distant dream.

England’s number five that day, Megan Lear, likened the event to the moon landing, telling The Guardian newspaper: “That day in 1976, walking into the hallowed grounds of Lord’s, it was like one small step for us women cricketers, but one giant leap towards the future of women’s cricket.”

It is a sign of how things have changed since the days of the non-playing days that the Test between two experienced teams will be England’s second game at Lord’s in less than a week, following Sunday’s defeat by Australia in the playoffs. the Women’s T20 World Cup final – a game that attracted many people.

Nine of England’s World Cup-winning players have been included in the Test, including captain Nat Sciver-Brunt, who “hopes to play” despite a serious calf injury.

‘History in the making’

“We’ve known this has been on the calendar,” England coach Charlotte Edwards said.

“A lot of our players have been preparing for Test matches throughout the T20 season, so we’re looking forward to it,” added Edwards, England’s captain when they won the 2009 Women’s T20 World Cup final at Lord’s.

“It’s a great test for us as a team and for the Indian team, and we can’t wait to play in front of big crowds again in the next four days.”

Young English athlete Tilly Corteen-Colman is well aware of the importance of the event.

“I remember talking to Lottie (Edwards) about the time when she played here and she wasn’t allowed to enter the Long Hall,” said the 18-year-old.

“The first women’s Test at Lord’s is history in the making, so to be part of it would be amazing.

As well as the win, the match also marked Tammy Beaumont’s farewell from England football to international cricket.

Beaumont has made 260 appearances for England since making her debut 17 years ago, and was the first Englishwoman to score two Tests – 208 against Australia at Trent Bridge in 2023.

Beaumont said: “When I fell in love with cricket as a young girl, I didn’t know that playing cricket in England was the right thing to do.

The 35-year-old, who will continue to play domestic cricket, added: “Our first Women’s Test at Lord’s feels like the perfect time to sign off on a project that I never expected would be as special as it has been.”