A Moment Women's Cricket Has Waited For
There are occasions in sport that feel genuinely significant, and this is one of them. When Nat Sciver-Brunt leads England out at Lord's on Friday morning, she will be doing something no woman has ever done before — captaining a side in a Women's Test match at the most famous cricket ground on the planet. As someone who has spent decades in and around the women's game, I can tell you this moment has been a long time coming, and it deserves every bit of attention it gets.
The match begins at 11:00 BST on Friday, 10 July, and is scheduled across four days, concluding on Monday, 13 July. Lord's, nestled in St John's Wood in north London and universally recognised as the Home of Cricket, has hosted 150 men's Test matches over its long history — the most recent being England's clash with New Zealand just last month. Yet until this week, women's Test cricket had never graced its famous slope. That changes now.
The Numbers Behind This Historic Fixture
Context matters in cricket, and the statistics surrounding this match are fascinating. This will be the 153rd Women's Test ever played, with England appearing in their 103rd and India stepping out for their 43rd. Women's Test cricket itself stretches back to December 1934, when England and Australia contested the very first match of its kind in a three-Test series — a rich heritage that this fixture continues to build upon.
In terms of venues, Worcester's New Road currently holds the record for the most Women's Tests staged, having hosted nine. The Oval follows with six, while Taunton's County Ground and Scarborough's North Marine Road Ground have each welcomed five. Lord's, for all its prestige, now joins that list for the very first time.
Head-to-Head Record and What the History Books Say
England and India have faced each other in Women's Tests on 15 previous occasions, and the record makes for interesting reading. India hold the upper hand with three victories to England's solitary win, while an overwhelming 11 of those contests have ended in draws — a pattern that tells you plenty about how closely matched these two sides tend to be at Test level.
The last time they met on English soil, in June 2021, the match petered out into a draw, as so many of their encounters do. India did, however, claim victory when the sides met most recently in December 2023. That result will give India's camp quiet confidence heading into this fixture, and from a betting perspective, the draw remains the most historically supported outcome — though England's home advantage and the significance of the occasion could see the outright odds shift as the match develops.
What to Watch For
Beyond the occasion itself, there is a genuine cricket contest to be had here. Sciver-Brunt's captaincy will be under the spotlight, and England will be keen to perform in front of what promises to be a substantial and enthusiastic crowd. India, meanwhile, will be travelling with recent Test experience behind them and no shortage of motivation to make history of their own by winning at this famous ground.
For those of us who love the longer format of the women's game, this Test is a gift. The four-day format demands patience, skill, and tactical nous — qualities both sides possess in abundance. Whatever the result, cricket as a whole wins this week at Lord's.
