India thrash England in historic first women's Test at Lord's
India secured a dominant 270-run victory over England in the first women's Test at Lord's Cricket Ground, a landmark occasion 142 years after the venue hosted its first men's Test. The four-day match, which began on Friday, saw India outplay England in all departments, as reported by Al Jazeera.
England, set a record-breaking target of 457 for victory, were dismissed for 186 shortly before lunch on the final day. Spinners Sneh Rana and Deepti Sharma shared the last four wickets, with Rana taking 4-42 and Sharma chipping in with two wickets, sealing India's emphatic win.
The victory was a personal triumph for India's Kranti Gaud and Yastika Bhatia, who became the first women to take five wickets and score a century respectively in a women's Test at Lord's. Gaud's superb 5-37 in England's first-innings 170 set the tone, while wicket-keeper Bhatia's 113—her first century in any international format—was the cornerstone of India's imposing second-innings total of 341-7 declared.
India's captain, Hardik Pandya, was not available for comment, but the team's performance spoke volumes as they finished their tour with joyous memories of Lord's, having been knocked out of the T20 World Cup in the group phase at the same venue by eventual champions Australia.
Coverage comparison
The historic nature of the match was a central theme in Al Jazeera's coverage. The outlet highlighted that Lord's finally hosted a women's Test, 142 years after staging its first men's match. The coverage also noted that this was just the second fixture at Lord's for England in less than a week, following their defeat to Australia in the T20 World Cup final on July 5.
The match also marked the international retirement of England's Tammy Beaumont and former captain Heather Knight, with the defeat not the send-off they would have wanted. England's struggles in the longer format were evident, as they suffered their second-heaviest Test reverse in terms of runs and their fourth defeat in five Tests.
Key claims
- The first women's Test at Lord's took place 142 years after the first men's Test at the same venue.
- India won the match by 270 runs.
- England was dismissed for 186 in the final innings.
- Kranti Gaud took 5-37 in England's first innings.
- Yastika Bhatia scored a century in the second innings.
- The record-breaking target for England was 457 runs.
- Sneh Rana and Deepti Sharma shared the last four wickets.
- Tammy Beaumont retired from international cricket after the match.
- England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt had a nagging calf injury during the Test.