OSCAR RATCLIFFE studies at some of the themes to look out for as the women's teams of England and India prepare to battle at Bristol - the first time they have met in Test cricket since 2014
To say it’s been a while since India Women last played a Test match is something of an understatement. That last game, an innings-victory against South Africa in Mysore, came in November 2014. Current squad member Shafali Verma was just ten years old at the time.
Though Women’s Tests are rare events (England have played only three of them since 2014) it is astonishing that nearly eight years have passed since India wielded a red ball. Seven of the XI from that last game remain in India’s squad: Mithali Raj, Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur, Punam Raut, Shikha Pandey, Poonam Yadav and Jhulan Goswami.
The match against England will be skipper Raj’s 11th Test match appearance; her eighth in the format came at Taunton 15 years ago when Twitter was six months old, TikTok was the sound a clock made and bird flu was a thing. Simpler times…
In Heather Knight’s two Tests as skipper she hasn’t been shy about bringing some early tweak to proceedings. With a weapon as elegant as slow-left-armer Sophie Ecclestone at her disposal, who could blame her?
In the three innings Knight has captained the finger-spinner in Tests, she has brought her into the attack in the first, 12th and 15th overs. It is safe to say that India’s batters should expect some flight and guile with a hard new ball.
With ten of India’s squad of 18 yet to play a Test, how they will contend with this unique challenge is anyone’s guess, but top order batter Harmanpreet Kaur will at least have some familiarity with the threat Ecclestone poses having shared a dressing with her for Lancashire Thunder in both the 2018 and 2019 editions of the Kia Super League.
Ecclestone, after a rocky start to the Heyhoe Flint (she conceded 63 runs from her ten overs in the Thunder’s opening game with England teammate Anya Shrubsole doling out some punishing blows), has been back to her best bowling 19.2 overs and snaring five wickets for just 51 runs in her last two games. Now there’s a Test match bowling analysis if you ever saw one…
India came out on top when these sides last met in Test cricket
File this one under “Nice Problems to Have”, but wicketkeeper Amy Jones is in an extraordinary vein of form and could slot in anywhere in England’s top six. Settling on which berth will get the best out of her is likely near top of head coach Lisa Keightley’s to-do list.
The right-hander has 282 runs from three Heyhoe Flint Trophy innings, has struck a brace of centuries (including a barnstorming unbeaten 163 against the Storm) and is striking at 115.57. These runs have all come in the middle-order, and Knight has indicated that the 27-year-old will fulfil the same role in the Test side. Nonetheless the temptation must remain to bat her up top, a role she fulfilled on Test debut with some success making a patient 64 from 140.
Wherever she bats the likes of Jhulan Goswami, Shikha Pandey and Poonam Yadav will be quietly confident that they have the tools to stem the flow of runs: the batter’s career average drops by almost five runs against India and she failed to pass 26 in five innings against the same attack in 2019.
For a side that majors in short-form cricket England Women’s batting was rather glacial in their last outing in whites.
There were, of course, some extenuating circumstances: 2019’s sole Ashes Test came slap bang in the middle of the multi-format series with Australia needing only a draw to secure enough points to retain the trophy; the groundsman did the home side no favours producing a flat Taunton track; and the visitors batted first with a certain Ellyse Perry in an unforgiving mood. Still, if you’re after a win, crawling along at 2.56 runs per over probably ain’t gonna cut it.
This year circumstances are different. The Test against India comes at the start of the series, with no vested interests in draws. Host-ground Bristol has also proved a happy hunting ground for result-seekers: two of the three Championship matches there have brought Gloucestershire wins (the third being a washout).
Add in the attacking talent which England boast – not only the in-form Jones but also the hard-hitting Sophia Dunkley who could be in line for a Test debut and is currently averaging 98 in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy (strike rate 95.14) – and you’d hope that England might go about this one with a slice more gusto.
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