England are hurtling towards a seemingly inevitable defeat to India in the historic Women’s Test at Lord’s after closing on 130-6 in a record chase of 457, with Heather Knight and Tammy Beaumont out cheaply in their final knocks before international retirement.
After being set a world-record target – far beyond the highest successful chase in a Women’s Test, the 198 Australia knocked off against England at Sydney in 2011 – the hosts plummeted to 59-5 inside 20 overs on a sun-kissed Sunday in London.
Opener Beaumont was bowled for a golden duck by the relentless Kranti Gaud, who went on to have Knight caught behind off an inside edge for 13 as two of England’s greats – both of whom were given guards of honour by India after being dismissed – bowed out.
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Heather Knight’s England career came to a close after she was caught behind off India seamer Kranti Gaud
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Watch the moment Tammy Beaumont was given a guard of honour after being cleaned up by Gaud
Captain Nat Sciver-Brunt (11) was cleaned up on the sweep by Sneh Rana, one ball after overturning an lbw, while Maia Bouchier (2) unwisely played back to Sayali Sathgare to be pinned in front before the same seamer castled Alice Capsey (21) with a jaffa.
Amy Jones (52no) – who successfully reviewed an lbw dismissal on 34 en route to her second fifty of the game – and Mady Villiers (26) delayed the visitors’ march to victory with a stubborn sixth-wicket stand of 67 from 105 balls prior to Villiers being superbly caught by Richa Ghosh at mid-off in the dying embers of the day.
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Watch Richa Ghosh’s astonishing catch late in the day that removed England all-rounder Mady Villiers
England were set a world-record 457 to win the Women’s Test
India should wrap things up promptly on day four, when entry is free for spectators, and secure back-to-back Test wins over England after a 347-run victory in Navi Mumbai in 2023.
Since an opening day that was arguably honours even, India have utterly bossed this game and moved from their overnight 154-1 to 341-7 before visiting skipper Harmanpreet Kaur eventually put England out of their misery by declaring around 3.10pm local time.
Harmanpreet called time as soon as Ghosh (50no off 52) clinched a half-century – the batter the third player in the innings to pass fifty after Smriti Mandhana (70) and Yastika Bhatia (113), with the latter the first woman to notch a Test ton at Lord’s.
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India’s Yastika Bhatia is the first woman to score a Test century at Lord’s
England toil at Lord’s as India close in
Bhatia’s innings could have been cut off from the first ball of the morning, at which point she was on 39, but the bail remarkably stayed on when England seamer Lauren Bell struck the off stump.
Bell – who later spent time off the field while abdominal muscle soreness was assessed – denied Mandhana a century when she had the elegant left-hander extremely well caught down the leg-side by wicketkeeper Jones as she leapt one-handed to her right.
However, the skyscraping seamer also shipped any array of byes as she lost her radar and England’s best bowler, as so often in the past, was left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone, who claimed a fourth five-for in 10 Tests and took her number of scalps in this Test to eight.
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England spinner Sophie Ecclestone etched her name onto the Lord’s honours board with a five-wicket haul
Ecclestone had become England’s leading wicket-taker across all formats during a first-innings three-for – eclipsing Katherine Sciver-Brunt’s total of 335 – and extended her tally to 343 as she dismissed, among others, Bhatia and Harmanpreet on Sunday.
Harmanpreet’s delayed declaration may have been as much about wearying England as it was ensuring Ghosh was able to add a Lord’s fifty to her CV – and there was a real lethargy about the hosts as wickets tumbled at the start of their second dig.
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Nat Sciver-Brunt was bowled on the sweep, one delivery after overturning an lbw dismissal
Beaumont, who announced before this Test that she was done as an England cricketer, and former captain Knight, who went all Ben Stokes and revealed her retirement mid-match, could not enjoy fairytale farewells as they perished to champion quick Gaud.
Gaud had become the first woman on the Lord’s Test honours board by dint of her first-innings five-for and now has company after Bhatia’s ton, a knock that featured 14 fours, most of them stylish.
Watch day four of the one-off Women’s Test between England and India at Lord’s live on Sky Sports Cricket, Sky Sports Mix and Sky Sports Main Event from 10.30am on Monday (11am first ball). Stream cricket and more contract-free with NOW.
