Lord's set for maiden women's Test match as England host India in historic clash

Women’s cricket is set to conquer one more bastion. One hundred and forty-two years after hosting its first men’s Test, Lord’s Cricket Ground will finally welcome women’s Test cricket on Friday when England take on India in a historic four-day clash.

The landmark occasion comes more than 50 years after Lord’s staged its first women’s international, when England defeated Australia by eight wickets in an ODI on Aug 4, 1976.The inaugural women’s Test at Lord’s is expected to be played before one of the biggest crowds in the format’s history. “More than 30,000 tickets have already been snapped up across the four days of the historic Rothesay England v India Women’s Test, making it one of the world’s best-attended women’s Test matches ever,” Lord’s said in a media release.

“It just boggles my mind that this is the first women’s Test here at Lord’s,” India coach Amol Muzumdar said on Wednesday.India captain Harmanpreet Kaur echoed those sentiments, describing the occasion as a dream come true.“It’s a very big moment for all of us. As a captain and as a player, I’m really looking forward to this opportunity. As kids, we always dream of playing Test cricket, and playing at Lord’s is one of those dreams. All the girls are very excited.” India, however, suffered a setback on the eve of the match when opener Pratika Rawal was ruled out with a knee injury. Priya Punia has replaced her in the team.