India thrash England in historic first women’s cricket Test match at Lord’s

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England, set a record-breaking target of 457 for victory, were dismissed for 186 shortly before lunch on the final day of four on Monday Rana took 4-42, removing Amy Jones for 54 and finishing the landmark match when she bowled Sophie Ecclestone for 50. Fellow spinner Sharma chipped in with the wickets of Issy Wong and Lauren Bell as England crumbled in front of a crowd that included India men’s cricket great Sachin Tendulkar. India were dominant in all aspects of a game being played 142 years, and 150 matches, after Lord’s staged its first men’s Test and decades on from the first women’s game of any kind at the London ground – a 1976 one-day international between England and Australia. Victory meant India finished their tour with joyous memories of Lord’s, having been knocked out of the T20 World Cup in the group phase at the “Home of Cricket” by eventual champions Australia. England, by contrast, struggled to adapt to the demands of the longer format in a match that started just days after their T20 World Cup final loss to Australia at Lord’s on July 5. Their second-heaviest Test reverse, in terms of runs, and fourth defeat in five Tests was not the way England would have wanted to send off Tammy Beaumont and former captain Heather Knight in the veteran batters’ final appearance before international retirement. The match was a personal triumph for India’s Kranti Gaud and Yastika Bhatia, the first women to take five wickets and score a century respectively in a women’s Test at Lord’s. Gaud took a superb 5-37 in England’s first-innings 170 and wicket-keeper Bhatia’s 113 – her first century in any international format – was the cornerstone of India’s imposing second-innings 341-7 declared. India captain Harmanpreet Kaur praised her top order, with opener Smriti Mandhana hitting fifties in both innings “In this Test match, the way they batted was outstanding to watch,” said Kaur at the presentation ceremony. “Bhatia is a great batter. I had a really strong feeling for her – that’s why we put her in the eleven – and I’m really happy with the way she played.” Seam bowler Gaud was named player of the match after also taking 2-54 in the second innings. “Growing up I never imagined something like this would happen but the moment the Test started I wanted to get my name on the honours board,” said Gaud. “I stuck to what the coaches told me. My strength is to hit the right length and the ball moved and did its bit.” Defeat left England still searching for their first win in a home women’s Test since 2005. “I’m disappointed all round, really,” England coach Charlotte Edwards told Sky Sports. “You come into such a historic Test match and occasion, which has been absolutely amazing. To then not play anywhere near our best over the four days…” The former England captain added: “A lot of credit has to go to India. I thought they were exceptional. They were really disciplined with bat and ball.” Nat Sciver-Brunt, the current England skipper lamented a lack of time between formats but said: “As cricketers we have to be prepared for that and recover as best we can before preparing for a Test match.” England resumed in dire straits at 130-6. The highest successful fourth-innings chase in any women’s Test is Australia’s 198 against England in Sydney in 2011. England’s slim hopes of success rested with wicket-keeper Jones, 52 not out after completing her second fifty of the match. Jones, however, had added just two runs to her overnight total when she pulled Rana to mid-wicket. The tourists, in rare blemishes, dropped a couple of catches but the end was not long in coming to the vocal delight of India fans basking in another sun-drenched day at Lord’s. Although Monday’s crowd was sparse, the overall attendance across the four days of 37,846 was a new record for a women’s Test. 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