England will resume on 21-1, still 264 runs behind India’s 285, when day two of the first women’s Test ever staged at Lord’s begins at 11am on Saturday — with Sophie Ecclestone newly installed as England Women’s leading wicket-taker.
According to Sky Sports Cricket, Ecclestone’s 3-68 on day one took her to 338 international wickets across all formats, past Katherine Sciver-Brunt’s England record of 335 and beyond Australia great Ellyse Perry, leaving only India’s Deepti Sharma and Jhulan Goswami above her on the all-time women’s list. The left-arm spinner struck three times in six deliveries late in the evening as India’s last four wickets tumbled for 11 runs.
The tourists had threatened far more. Smriti Mandhana’s fluent 83 set the tone after Nat Sciver-Brunt won the toss and bowled, and at 190-3 India were on course for a commanding total in the historic first women’s Test at Lord’s.
Smriti Mandhana Falls 17 Short As Mady Villiers Stars On Debut
ESPNcricinfo’s scorecard shows half-centuries for Mandhana, captain Harmanpreet Kaur (58) and Deepti Sharma (57), but debutant off-spinner Mady Villiers changed the day, bowling Harmanpreet through the gate on the cusp of tea and finishing with 2-79. Issy Wong (2-41) removed Mandhana 17 short of a landmark hundred.
England’s reply brought early drama as Tammy Beaumont, playing her farewell Test after a 17-year international career, was pinned lbw for two by Kranti Gaud. Maia Bouchier (17 not out) and Heather Knight survived to the close.
With 11 draws in the 15 previous England-India women’s Tests, Saturday’s morning session — with Bouchier set and India’s bowlers fresh — could define the whole contest.
