Lord’s is about to stage its first women’s Test, more than 142 years after the ground hosted its first men’s Test. India captain Harmanpreet Kaur says the chance to play there feels like a childhood dream coming true.
A landmark for the women’s game
The match arrives over five decades after the ground’s first women’s international, a One-Day International in which England beat Australia. A release from Lord’s says more than 30,000 tickets have already been sold across the four days, which would place it among the best-attended women’s Tests ever played.
Harmanpreet said that as a captain and as a player she was eager for the opportunity, noting that young cricketers dream of Test cricket and that Lord’s is one of the biggest of those dreams. She added that the whole squad was excited.
Rawal out, Punia in
India have had a setback before the one-off match. Opener Pratika Rawal has been ruled out with a knee injury, and Priya Punia has been added to the squad in her place.
Head coach Amol Muzumdar also spoke of the occasion, saying it was hard to believe this would be the first women’s Test at Lord’s. He felt fortunate to be involved in such a historic fixture and said the team were eagerly awaiting it.
Both India and England will hope to make their mark at the Home of Cricket in what is set to be another significant chapter in the growth of the women’s game.
