England fights back after Smriti’s classy knock to dismiss India for 285

Lauren Bell came steaming in, with cricket’s most famous pavilion, featuring the facade of brick and terracotta, providing a lovely backdrop. She beat Smriti Mandhana, the ball going past the outside edge.

It was a dot ball. It was also a ball into history: the first in a Women’s Test match at Lord’s, the history of which goes back to 239 years.

Before that, some 50 former England women cricketers, who may not have imagined that such a day would come, rang the five-minute bell. Soon, it was the turn of Bell – pun unintended – to start the proceedings, her captain Nat Sciver-Brunt having won the toss and decided to put India in.

And the day’s cricket matched the occasion. At the end of it, England was 21 for one, after bowling India out for 285.

In the day’s second over, England’s other seaming Lauren, the Filer variety, got Shafali Verma to square up awkwardly with a ball that angled in at good pace from a neat length. The Indian opener, who had made a stunning Test debut in this country five years ago, was caught well behind by a diving Amy Jones.

Shafali was out for a duck, so a little less than what she made in her maiden Test appearance (96 and 63). Her partner, however, got into her elegant act soon. Smriti was at her fluent best. She, however, soon lost her new partner Yastika Bhatia, whose off stump was pegged back by Bell’s delivery that nipped off down the slope.

Smriti and Jemimah Rodrigues looked in absolute command under the bright sun and a clear blue sky. When the stand was worth 64, off just 72 balls, Jemimah (35, 38b, 5×4) reached out to a wide ball from Issy Wong and dragged it on to her stumps.

Captain Harmanpreet Kaur now joined her vice-captain and they put on 89 for the fourth wicket. Smriti (83, 108b, 11×4, 1×6) looked well on her way to what would have been her third Test hundred, until she poked at a wide ball from Wong and was caught smartly by Jones, standing up.

Then at the stroke of tea, Harmanpreet Kaur (58, 121b, 7×4) was bowled through the gate by debutant off-spinner Maddy Villiers. The gritty Deepti Sharma (57, 87b, 7×4) then helped India reach a respectable total.

Kranti Goud gave India an early breakthrough when she had Tammy Beaumont, in her last match for England, lbw. Maia Bouchier and Heather Knight ensured there was no further damage.