England to Host India in First Women's Test at Lord's on 10 July 2026

Lord's Cricket Ground in London will host its first women's Test match on 10 July 2026 when England faces India in a four-day game. The fixture comes 142 years after the ground staged its first men's Test match. The first women's match of any kind at Lord's was an ODI on August 4, 1976, in which England beat Australia by eight wickets.

Rachael Heyhoe Flint captained England that day. Heyhoe Flint died in 2017 and has a gate named after her at the ground. Marylebone Cricket Club did not admit women as members until after 1976. Megan Lear batted at No.

5 for England in the 1976 match. England's women's T20 World Cup final against Australia at Lord's on July 5 drew a capacity crowd. England lost that match. Nine players from the T20 squad are included in the Test squad.

Nat Sciver-Brunt captains England for the Test and is hoping to play despite a calf injury. Tilly Corteen-Colman, an 18-year-old spinner, is also selected. Tammy Beaumont is retiring from international cricket after 260 appearances over 17 years.

She was the first English woman to score a double century in a Test, making 208 against Australia at Trent Bridge in 2023. Beaumont's final international match will be the Lord's Test. "It just boggles my mind that it is just the first (women's) Test match here at Lord's," said India coach Amol Muzumdar.

"We've always known this has been on the calendar," said England coach Charlotte Edwards. "A lot of our players have been doing Test match prep throughout the T20s, so we're really looking forward to it. " "I remember speaking to Lottie (Edwards) about when she used to play here and they weren't allowed in the Long Room," said Corteen-Colman.