​It remains the perpetual dilemma for women’s Test cricket: how do you get better at a format you rarely get to play? Before the start of every Test match, both captains are invariably asked to reflect on the significance of the format and whether they would welcome more opportunities to play Tests. It’s a tiring yet essential ritual for players and the press alike, given how infrequent these matches are. And the response is almost always the same: yes, we would love more Tests, but the schedule rarely makes that feasible.
England’s one-off Test against India, the first women’s Test at Lord’s since the men’s 150th anniversary match, spanned a week of mixed emotions. It was historic and emotionally charged, with the significance felt from day one as past England players from the amateur era filled the pavilion and rang the bell five minutes before play to honour their contributions to the sport’s current status. There was also a record crowd for a women’s Test, with 37,846 spectators across the four days. Yet the timing left it feeling like an afterthought, wedged between the Women’s T20 World Cup and The Hundred. It illustrates the chaos of cricket’s calendar, such that this might have been the least disruptive option available. England’s squad looked unusual, with key players rested in the wake of the World Cup, and they managed only two or three days of red-ball preparation after the final.
Since the introduction of the multi-format Ashes in 2013, most women’s Tests have occurred within those series and carried a points value alongside white-ball fixtures. A one-off Test, however, struggled to find relevance beyond its historic context. With T20s growing in influence and financial resources for professional women’s cricket stretched thinner, the place of Tests in the landscape is increasingly uncertain. In the wake of a heavy 270-run thumping, England head coach Charlotte Edwards called for more women’s Tests, a refrain she often voiced as a former captain, while also emphasising the need for stronger domestic red-ball cricket. India outplayed England in all departments across the four days, a result that could reflect several factors. They had an extra week off after the T20 World Cup after not qualifying for the semi-finals, whereas England had to recover from the emotional blow of the final. Crucially, however, India’s domestic circuit includes red-ball cricket, which may have contributed to their edge.
Despite the absence of several stars—such as Smriti Mandhana, Yastika Bhatia, and Kranti Gaud—this match still marks a significant milestone for the sport’s future and for how the next generation might progress. Edwards suggested that while there is a place for women’s Tests, they might best fit into a broader bilateral or multi-series framework as cricket moves forward. “I think there’s a place for it [women’s Tests], but perhaps it has to be part of a multi-series or bilateral package. That’s something to consider going forward,” she told BBC Test Match Special. While the ongoing challenge remains how to integrate Tests more fully into a crowded schedule, the event at Lord’s underscored both the enduring allure and logistical barriers of the longest format in women’s cricket.