Key events
Preamble
Good morning! It’s been a long road, with many screes, many dead ends, but we made it. A first woman’s Test at Lord’s: 50 years after the first women’s game at Lord’s, 92 years after the first women’s Test.
Both teams are out on the hallowed turf, while in the watching Long Room portraits of female cricketers of the past have been unveiled: Belinda Clark, Mary Duggan, Enid Bakewell, Jan Brittin, Myrtle MacLagan, and the World Cup0winning team of 1993.
The boards behind the Tavern stand have been replaced to represent female cricketing achievement and everywhere are cricketers of today and shadows of the past.
To business: England must switch gear immediately – just four days after they lost the Women’s World Cup here. Six players change from blue and red to whites – captain Nat Sciver-Brunt, Heather Knight, Lauren Bell, Alice Capsey, Sophie Ecclestone and Amy Jones. Ellie Threlkeld, Tilly Corteen-Coleman, all-rounder Mady Villiers and fast bowler Grace Potts join the squad.
And it’s a last hurrah for Tammy Beaumont, who saw the writing on the way after a magnificent England career.
India have been able to have a more leisurely week, albeit because they were knocked out of the World Cup in the knockout stages. They’ve had time to process the disappointment – my hunch is on them spoiling the party.
Toss at 10.30am BST, play at 11am – join us!
Leave a Reply