Ecclestone wrecks India with six-ball burst in historic Lord’s Test

Sophie Ecclestone ripped through India with three wickets in six balls across two overs, turning a solid first innings into a collapse and leaving India all out for 285 on the opening day of the one-off Test at Lord’s. In the first women’s Test ever staged at the ground, England’s late pressure changed the shape of the match in a matter of deliveries.

Nat Sciver-Brunt had won the toss and chose to bowl first, sending England into the field with debut caps handed to Alice Capsey and Mady Villiers. The occasion carried extra weight for Tammy Beaumont, whose final international appearance was tied to the match, and Lord’s had allocated more than 33,000 tickets across the four days to mark the scale of the fixture.

India had been placed to build a stronger total after Smriti Mandhana’s half-century in her 300th international match and Harmanpreet Kaur’s composed 58 carried the visitors to 202 for five at tea. Mandhana’s 83 and Kaur’s resistance kept England at bay for long spells, but the innings lost its structure once Ecclestone found a decisive burst late on.

The change came fast. India slipped from 279 for seven to 285 all out as Ecclestone struck three times in six balls, wiping out the lower order and ending the innings before the total could stretch further. In a Test match, six balls can feel routine; at Lord’s, in the first women’s Test at the venue, those six balls reset the day.

Ecclestone’s spell also extended her strong record at Lord’s against India. She had taken three wickets in England’s rain-affected ODI win over India at the ground in July 2025, and on this occasion her left-arm spin again delivered when India looked set to carry momentum deeper into the innings. England had begun the day with selection changes and ceremonial significance; Ecclestone’s late intervention ensured the first innings was defined by the home side’s control at the end rather than India’s batting at the start.