​Female spectators were barred from entering the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and the Pavilion at Lord’s until March 1999. Now, nearly three decades on, England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt and India captain Harmanpreet Kaur are set to ascend those renowned Pavilion steps to lead their sides in the first-ever women’s Test at the sport’s most famed ground. The England-India Test, which begins on Friday, will mark the maiden women’s Test at Lord’s, 142 years after the venue hosted its inaugural men’s Test. Since 1937, England Women have played 55 Tests at 19 grounds nationwide; Lord’s will become the 20th venue in which they have contested the longest format.
For the Women’s game, this marks a historic step as England’s women finally take the field in a Test at the Home of Cricket—wearing whites and using a red ball over four days against India at Lord’s. It represents a new chapter for women’s cricket and arrives exactly fifty years after Rachael Heyhoe Flint captained England in the first women’s match at Lord’s, a milestone that underscores how far the sport has progressed. Since the inaugural Women’s Ashes in 1934, England have played 55 Tests across 19 venues, including several at The Oval, but never at Lord’s.
In June 2023, England’s most recent women’s Test at Trent Bridge prompted the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) to condemn the fact that England Women had never played a Test at Lord’s as “truly appalling.” The ICEC noted that the “home of cricket” remained a space largely reserved for men, a sentiment that helped push administrators to act.
A notable distinction between the men’s and women’s formats is that women’s Tests are contested over four days rather than five. Each day must see a minimum of 100 overs bowled, while the follow-on target sits at 150 runs rather than 200. Only two five-day women’s Tests have been played in history, the most recent being the 2023 Women’s Ashes Test at Trent Bridge, which Australia won by 89 runs.
To mark the occasion, an opening ceremony will be staged at Lord’s on Friday morning, July 10. Fifty former England women cricketers will converge to ring the iconic Lord’s Five-minute Bell before the first ball, an event that will feature stars such as Enid Bakewell, Claire Taylor, and Isa Guha among those taking part.
Head-to-head in women’s Tests currently favours India. The sides last faced one another in a Test in December 2023 at Navi Mumbai, where India defeated England by 347 runs. India have won three of their last four Tests against England, though those results stretch back to 2006. England’s last Test victory over India came in 1995, a dramatic two-run win in Jamshedpur—their only Test triumph in 15 meetings against India. Since then, the record shows three England defeats and 11 draws, while India remains unbeaten in nine Tests played in England, with two wins and seven draws.
The historic India–England women’s Test at Lord’s, slated to begin on July 10, will be streamed live in India on SonyLIV, with live television coverage provided by Sony Sports for broader accessibility and search visibility.