JOSH STACEY runs the rule over some of the standout players in both sides ahead of the one-off Test between England and India at Bristol
Beaumont has dominated the women’s game since her breakthrough year in 2016. She has smashed 12 fifties and seven hundreds in ODIs at an average of 45.13, but still has a lot to prove in the Test arena.
It will be her first Test match since 2019 and the immensely talented batter will look to carry her excellent form and confidence into this one-off fixture. With only one thing left to tick off on her list of accolades, could this be the Test where she registers her maiden hundred in the format?
Mandhana made her international debut at 18 and hasn’t looked back since. She continues to climb the ladder of the women’s game and has a number of accolades to her name in her young career.
Mandhana was both the first Indian woman to score a double hundred in a one-day fixture and the first Indian woman to feature in both the Big Bash League and the Kia Super League. When she laces up her boots for what will be her third Test, expect her to thrive under the weight of expectation.
Since Charlotte Edwards’ retirement from international cricket, Knight has been England’s star player and talismanic leader. She became the first English cricketer to score a hundred in each of the three international formats.
Add to that her useful, underused off-spin, and she strolls into this composite team as a complete cricketer – and also as one of the leading players in the all-too-rarely-played women’s Test game.
Heather Knight has a highest Test score of 157 against Australia
Raj is an absolute veteran of the international stage. She has seen it all before and then some. She was only the second woman ever to score 10,000 international runs and continues to perform despite supposedly being in her twilight years.
She is also no stranger to English conditions, having registered 12 fifties and three hundreds in the country. She captained India to victory at Wormsley when these sides last met in red-ball cricket.
Sciver was the first woman to take a T20I hat-trick and currently sits ninth on the ICC’s list of batters and fourth among the allrounders.
Her new role as vice-captain to Knight is reward for her influence in Lisa Keightley’s England setup, having been used increasingly for her bowling as much as her batting since the Australian took over as head coach.
Jones was Sarah Taylor’s understudy for some time, waiting for her chance to emerge as first-choice in her own right. Since Taylor’s retirement in 2019, she has done just that. Jones has become a solid performer for England in all formats.
With a score of 64 in her only Test innings to date, she will come into the game in remarkable form, having begun the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy with two centuries in a week.
Tim Macdonald is in his dream job
Sharma is a rising star of the world game. The 23-year-old has been playing for the Indian national team for seven years now and boasts a wealth of experience despite her tender years.
Yet another talented all-round cricketer, Sharma averages 38.29 with the bat in ODI cricket and 27.18 with the ball. She is yet to make her bow in the Test arena, with this game being India’s first since 2014. She is all but guaranteed her place in the starting XI.
Brunt is without question England’s greatest-ever fast bowler. She has 287 international wickets to her name and continues to perform on the biggest stage.
She particularly likes playing against India, with an overall bowling average of 17.44 against them across all three formats. She walks into this side, taking the new ball and will also provide some sturdiness lower down the order with the bat.
Goswami is the oldest player in this side but the veteran of the sport brings a lot more than simply experience to this combined XI. She boasts a bowling average of 16.62 in her Test career, claiming 40 wickets in 10 games.
Add to that her 289 other international wickets and she is unquestionably a titan of the game. Next year’s World Cup is looming for the seamer, which could offer up a fairytale ending to a fine career.
Mithali Raj is an icon of Indian cricket, approaching the twilight of her career
Shrubsole has been a staple of the England side for a number of years now, and has had a steady start to 2021 after a frustrating 2020.
She starred in her first game of the regional campaign by taking three wickets and finishing 61 not out. She will likely open the bowling for England, given her ability to swing the new ball prodigiously.
The 22-year-old impresses wherever she goes. The world’s top-ranked T20I bowler has already emerged as a leader within England’s ranks, with plenty wondering how many records she might break over the course of her international career, given the nature of her fast start.
A third Test appearance offers her the chance to add to the six wickets she has already taken in two matches against Australia.
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