SMRITI MANDHANA's sparkling unbeaten fifty led India to 122-3 against England at lunch on the opening day of the inaugural women's Test at Lord's on Friday (10).
Mandhana was 56 not out after making a run-a-ball fifty including eight fours and a six, with India sent in to bat. Harmanpreet Kaur, the India captain, was unbeaten on 14.
After 142 years -- and 150 matches -- of men's Test cricket at the London ground, this four-day fixture represents another landmark in the evolution of a now fast-developing women's game.
This match is also taking place 50 years after the first major women's match at Lord's, a one-day international between England and Australia.
Members of the England team that day gathered on the outfield on Friday to ring the five-minute bell signalling the start of play.
In contrast to that 1976 team, England were playing their second match at Lord's in under a week following their defeat by arch-rivals Australia in last Sunday's (5) T20 World Cup final -- with India knocked out of the tournament by the eventual champions in a group-stage game at the same ground.
And in a feat women cricketers of the amateur era could scarcely have envisaged, Friday's match meant Mandhana became the youngest women to feature in 300 international games across all formats at the age of 29 years and 357 days.
But before Mandhana got going, opening partner Shafali Verma suffered the disappointment of a duck when well-caught by diving wicketkeeper Amy Jones off Lauren Filer.
Left-hander Mandhana, however, cover-drove Lauren Bell for several fours in classic style and also pulled the fast bowler to the boundary and later slog-swept spinner Sophie Ecclestone for six.
Yastika Bhatia (12) was bowled by a superb Bell delivery that swung in and seamed away. But Jemimah Rodrigues helped Mandhana put on 64 for the third-wicket before she unluckily dragged on against Issy Wong for 35.
(AFP)
