When England and India walk out at Lord’s today, they will make history.
For the first time since the ground staged its inaugural men’s Test in 1884, the “Home of Cricket” will host a women’s Test match. It is a milestone that has taken 142 years to arrive.
The obvious question is: what took so long?
Women’s Test cricket arrived long before Lord’s welcomed it
England played its first women’s Test against Australia in 1934, and the format gradually established itself over the following decades.
England and India first met in a Women’s Test in 1976, beginning a rivalry that has now spanned nearly five decades. Today’s match will be the 16th Test between the two sides. India heads into the contest after a commanding 347-run victory in Navi Mumbai in December 2023, while their previous meeting in England, at Bristol in 2021, ended in a draw.
Overall, India holds the edge in the rivalry with four wins to England’s two, while the remaining 10 matches have ended in draws. India have also lost just one of their previous 10 Women’s Tests in England.
Despite the history these two teams have built together, one venue had never featured on that list: Lord’s.
A ground shaped by centuries of tradition
Lord’s is owned by the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), founded in 1787 and long regarded as the guardian of cricket’s laws and traditions.
For much of its history, however, those traditions reflected a very different era.
Women could not become MCC members until 1998. Female spectators were only allowed into the Pavilion and the famous Long Room from 1999.
The barriers extended onto the field as well. The Women’s Cricket Association first sought permission to stage a match at Lord’s in 1929, but the request was rejected. It took nearly five decades before England Women finally played their first international at the venue, facing Australia in a One-Day International in 1976.
That breakthrough owed much to the efforts of pioneers such as Rachael Heyhoe Flint, who campaigned tirelessly for women’s cricket to receive greater recognition at the game’s most iconic ground.
Progress came slowly
Even after the first women’s international at Lord’s, equality remained a work in progress.
The Pavilion had never been designed for women’s cricket, temporary changing facilities had to be arranged, and many of the traditions surrounding the ground continued to reflect its male-dominated past.
Meaningful change gathered pace only in recent years.
The 2017 Women’s ODI World Cup final demonstrated that Lord’s could attract packed crowds for women’s cricket. The Hundred introduced new audiences to the women’s game, while television audiences and commercial interest continued to grow across the world.
The Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket later criticised the lack of women’s fixtures at Lord’s, adding momentum to efforts aimed at making the venue a regular stage for women’s cricket.
Why This Test Matters
Today’s match is the latest chapter in one of women’s cricket’s oldest Test contests, with India seeking a consecutive Test victory over England after Navi Mumbai’s Test match.
Unlike men’s Tests, women’s Tests are played over four days, with a minimum of 100 overs scheduled each day. The follow-on can be enforced after a lead of 150 runs, compared to 200 in men’s Test cricket.
To mark the occasion, 50 former England women cricketers will ring Lord’s famous Five-Minute Bell before play begins, recognising the generations who helped make this moment possible.
Lord’s has hosted 150 men’s Test matches since 1884. Today, it welcomes its first women’s Test.
After 142 years, one of cricket’s most famous venues is finally adding a chapter that had remained missing from its story for generations.
