Lord’s Cricket Ground set for first-ever women’s Test as England host India

England big India successful a women’s Test astatine the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground – the archetypal of specified a benignant astatine the venue.

Lord’s volition yet big a women’s Test, 142 years since staging its archetypal specified men’s match, erstwhile England look India successful a four-day crippled astatine the “Home of Cricket” starting connected Friday.

“It conscionable boggles my caput that it is conscionable the archetypal (women’s) Test lucifer present astatine Lord’s,” said India manager Amol Muzumdar.

Recommended Stories

• list 1 of 3Justin Bieber joins Madonna, Shakira, BTS successful World Cup last halftime show
• list 2 of 3Morocco dealt immense stroke arsenic injured Saibari retired of World Cup quarterfinal
• list 3 of 3Mbappe and France footwear disconnected World Cup quarterfinals with Morocco clash

“It is simply a large occasion, and we are looking guardant to it.”

The lucifer takes spot conscionable much than 50 years since the archetypal women’s lucifer of immoderate benignant astatine the renowned London venue, with England beating Australia by 8 wickets successful a one-day planetary connected August 4, 1976.

England’s skipper astatine Lord’s that time was the precocious Rachael Heyhoe Flint, a pioneering fig successful a women’s crippled wherever players were inactive wearing skirts alternatively than achromatic oregon coloured trousers, arsenic they bash now.

Heyhoe Flint, who died successful 2017, present has a gross named aft her astatine Lord’s.

But successful 1976, Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), the owners of Lord’s, were inactive decades distant from admitting women arsenic members, with the thought of females walking straight done the Long Room of the pavilion earlier taking the tract a distant dream.

England’s No 5 that day, Megan Lear, compared the acquisition to the satellite landing, telling The Guardian: “On that time successful 1976, to locomotion connected to the hallowed turf astatine Lord’s, it was similar 1 tiny measurement for america women cricketers, but 1 elephantine leap towards the aboriginal of women’s cricket.”

It is simply a motion of however things person changed from those amateur days that a Test betwixt 2 nonrecreational sides volition besides beryllium England’s 2nd fixture astatine Lord’s successful little than a week, pursuing Sunday’s decision by Australia successful the women’s T20 World Cup final – a lucifer that attracted a capableness crowd.

Nine of England’s World Cup squad are included for the Test, including skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt, who is “hoping to play” contempt a nagging calf injury.

‘History successful the making’

“We’ve ever known this has been connected the calendar,” said England manager Charlotte Edwards.

“A batch of our players person been doing Test lucifer prep passim the T20s, truthful we’re truly looking guardant to it,” added Edwards, England’s skipper erstwhile they won the 2009 Women’s T20 World Cup last astatine Lord’s.

“It’s a historical Test lucifer for america arsenic a radical and for the Indian team, and we can’t hold to play successful beforehand of a batch of radical again implicit the adjacent 4 days.”

Teenage England spinner Tilly Corteen-Colman is good alert of the value of the occasion.

“I retrieve speaking to Lottie (Edwards) astir erstwhile she utilized to play present and they weren’t allowed successful the Long Room,” said the 18-year-old.

“The archetypal women’s Test astatine Lord’s is past successful the making, truthful to beryllium progressive would beryllium incredible. It would mean the implicit world.”

England’s Tammy Beaumont is retiring aft 17 years [File: Andrew Boyers/Action Images via Reuters]

As good arsenic a breakthrough, the crippled volition besides people England batter Tammy Beaumont’s farewell to planetary cricket.

Beaumont has made 260 appearances for England since her debut 17 years ago, and she was the archetypal English pistillate to people a treble period successful a Test – 208 against Australia astatine Trent Bridge successful 2023.

“When I fell successful emotion with playing cricket arsenic a young girl, I hardly knew that playing cricket for England was an option,” said Beaumont.

The 35-year-old, who volition proceed to play home cricket, added: “Our archetypal ever women’s Test astatine Lord’s feels similar the cleanable juncture to motion disconnected connected a vocation that I could ne'er person dreamt would beryllium arsenic peculiar arsenic it has been.”

General presumption of the stands astatine Lord’s Cricket Ground [Cat Goryn/Action Images via Reuters]