The Japan Times - India's Mandhana stars in inaugural women's Test at Lord's

India seemed on course for a total in excess of 300 on Friday's first day of four while opener Mandhana (83) and captain Kaur (58) were sharing a fourth-wicket partnership of 89.

But Mandhana fell agonisingly short of becoming the first woman to score a Test century at the 'Home of Cricket' when she edged fast bowler Issy Wong, with wicket-keeper Amy Jones holding a fine catch standing up to the stumps.

And Kaur was out to what became the last ball before tea when bowled by a sharply turning off-break from England debutant Mady Villiers.

India, who had been 190-3 prior to Mandhana's exit, lost their last four wickets for 11 runs as left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone (3-68) polished off the tail.

Before stumps England opener Tammy Beaumont, who will retire from international duty after this match, was lbw to fast bowler Kranti Gaud's inswinger for just two, with the hosts 21-1 at the close.

When Ecclestone struck for the first time to have Sayali Satghare lbw she passed the previous England record of 335 multi-format international wickets taken by retired fast bowler Katherine Sciver-Brunt -- the wife of current England skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt.

Only the India duo of Sharma (357 wickets) and Jhulan Goswami (355) are ahead of Ecclestone in the all-time list.

After 142 years -- and 150 matches -- of men's Test cricket at Lord's, 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 the London ground, a one-day international between England and Australia.

Members of the England team that day gathered on the outfield 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 the 'Home of Cricket' in under a week following their defeat by arch-rivals Australia in Sunday's T20 World Cup final -- with India knocked out of the tournament by the eventual champions in a group-stage game at Lord's.

- 'Not too late' -

Fifty years ago, women were not allowed to walk through the Long Room before taking the field but on Friday they were cheered all the way as they made their way through the centrepiece of the pavilion for the pre-match anthems.

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 after England won the toss, Shafali Verma fell for a duck when well-caught by a diving Jones off Lauren Filer.

But left-hander Mandhana cover-drove Lauren Bell for several fours in typically elegant fashion and later slog-swept Ecclestone for six on her way to a run-a-ball fifty.

Jemimah Rodrigues helped Mandhana put on 64 for the third-wicket before she unluckily dragged on to Wong for 35.

Kaur -- in just the eighth Test of her long career - carved Bell through point for four and swept Villiers for another boundary.

In the build-up, the 37-year-old India great said a women's Test at Lord's was "late but not too late" and Kaur marked the occasion with a well-made fifty off 99 balls including six fours.

S.Ogawa--JT