​Sophie Ecclestone said it felt good to reclaim family bragging rights after her five-wicket haul in the inaugural women’s Test at Lord’s on Sunday, a performance that earned the England left-arm spinner a coveted place on the dressing room honours board. The four-day match against India, which ends on Monday, comes 142 years and 150 matches after Lord’s first hosted a men’s Test. It also marks 50 years since Lord’s held its first women’s match, a one-day international between England and Australia. Until recently, women’s games at the Home of Cricket were rare, with Ecclestone’s brother James having played at Lord’s before her when he appeared in the 2021 Village Cup final. Yet Ecclestone, who also contributed to England’s T20 World Cup final defeat by Australia at Lord’s on July 4, has now played two games at the London ground within a week.
During the Test, Ecclestone surpassed the previous England record of 335 all-format international wickets set by retired fast bowler Katherine Sciver-Brunt. Her 5-118 in 33.3 overs on Sunday made her the first woman to feature on Lord’s Test honours board in the home dressing room. “It wasn’t ideal, but obviously, it was pretty cool for him,” Ecclestone said of her brother’s appearance at Lord’s. “But I’ve got one up on him now. I’m on the honours board at Lord’s, and I don’t think he’ll ever do that, so yeah, I’m one up on him now. It’s pretty special. I’m in the Lord’s changing room forever now.”
Ecclestone admitted she shed tears as she ran onto the field on Sunday morning after learning that former England captain Heather Knight would retire from international cricket mid-Test, saying Knight had been part of the setup since her debut and was always supporting her. “She’s been around ever since I made my debut,” Ecclestone said of Knight. “For her to be at extra cover always cheering me on, I feel like I can’t really imagine this cricket team without her.”
Yet for all Ecclestone’s heroics, India also had reasons to celebrate. Yastika Bhatia became the first woman to score a Test century at Lord’s on Sunday, building the backbone of India’s second-innings 341-7 declared. At stumps, England were 130-6, still needing 327 more runs to reach a monumental target of 457. India’s strong position was further reinforced by seamer Kranti Gaud’s exceptional 5-37 in England’s modest first-innings 170 all out. Ecclestone praised Gaud, saying, “I played a couple of years at UP (Uttar Pradesh) with Kranti, and she’s shown how good she is the last few days. She’s been amazing and deserves to be on the honours board.”
As the season has unfolded, it has become clear that a match featuring the England women’s team can still be eclipsed by headlines about the men’s side, a trend underscore by the late-week news of Brendon McCullum’s job status.