Ecclestone becomes England’s leading wicket-taker as India dismissed for 285 at Lord’s

India lost their last four wickets for just 11 runs, having been 190-3 at one point. They finished all out for 285 in 74.5 overs at Lord’s—the first women’s Test match ever held at the historic ground.

Sophie Ecclestone made history. The left-arm spinner became England’s leading wicket-taker across all formats, surpassing Katherine Sciver-Brunt’s record of 335 wickets. Her career tally now stands at 338 across 10 Tests, 84 ODIs and 113 T20Is. She took 3-68 in India’s innings, claiming the milestone as England’s bowlers tore through the visitors’ tail.

Smriti Mandhana top-scored with 83 runs, while captain Harmanpreet Kaur added 58. Their 89-run partnership steadied the innings temporarily. Deepti Sharma, India’s all-format wicket-taker with 357 international dismissals, contributed 57 but couldn’t halt the collapse.

Four England bowlers shared the spoils. Lauren Filer took 2-40, Issy Wong 2-41, and Lauren Bell 1-50. Mady Villiers claimed 2-79 on her Test debut—an impressive return for a player who had already appeared in 22 white-ball matches for England.

Nat Sciver-Brunt’s decision to bowl first proved vindicated. England replied with 21-1 after 11 overs, Maia Bouchier unbeaten on 17. Tammy Beaumont, playing her final match after 17 years in international cricket, fell lbw to Kranti Gaud for 2. Heather Knight stood at 1 not out.

The occasion carried deep significance. Test debutants Alice Capsey and Mady Villiers took the field, while six players in the XI—including Lauren Bell—had played in Sunday’s T20 World Cup final defeat to Australia at the same venue. This is the 16th Women’s Test between the sides. England won once before, in Jamshedpur in 1995, while India prevailed three times. The other 11 ended in draws. India’s last victory came in Mumbai in December 2023.