India defeated England by 270 runs in the one-off women's Test at Lord's, a famous victory that compensated for their failure to reach the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup. The first women's Test at the ground broke the world record attendance for a women's Test, attracting 37,846 spectators over three and a half days.
Ecclestone's maiden fifty
England batted for long enough on the fourth morning to allow Sophie Ecclestone to reach her first Test half-century. Ecclestone was forced to appeal a leg-before decision on 44, overturned when UltraEdge revealed a faint bottom edge off Deepti Sharma. England's No. 11, Lauren Filer, faced 17 balls without scoring, surviving a leg-before review while Ecclestone was on 49. Ecclestone was eventually bowled by Sneh Rana, and England were all out for 186, 20 minutes before lunch.
Knight's retirement
Former England captain Heather Knight, who announced her retirement during the Test, said: 'Life isn't perfect, cricket isn't perfect, and it wasn't the perfect ending. But I'm so happy to be involved in a Test match at Lord's. It's been an amazing occasion, despite the result. I'm so grateful for the journey I've been on, but also the journey the sport has been on. It's been crazy how much it has changed. My first Test at Wormsley was a whole different world to being here at Lord's.'
England's batting struggles
England lost Amy Jones in the third over of the morning, pulling to Shafali Verma. Issy Wong survived 33 balls before being bowled by Deepti Sharma, who also dismissed Lauren Bell. This was England's fourth loss in five Tests since June 2022. Former captain Knight noted that players have grown up on T20 and need to learn to build innings. She reiterated calls for a domestic red-ball competition in England.
India's discipline
India's coach, Amol Muzumdar, described their approach as 'aggression mixed with patience.' He said: 'Test cricket is the ultimate format of the game and our group knows it. Test cricket is something that we really pride ourselves in.' India possess an inter-zonal trophy played over three days, though many top players do not participate.
Looking ahead
England's next Test is not until April in the Caribbean. Head coach Charlotte Edwards has promised a full team review. The next possible women's Test at Lord's could be in 2028 against South Africa, as the 2027 Women's Ashes Test is already allocated to Headingley.
