England Women to play first Test at Lord’s in 2026

Heather Knight’s side will return to red-ball action on home soil

Callum Rice-Coates
Thursday 22 August 2024 16:58 BST
Comments
Heather Knight’s England will take on India in 2026
Heather Knight’s England will take on India in 2026 (Getty Images)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

England Women will play their first Test at Lord’s with a match against India scheduled for the summer of 2026.

It will be the first women’s Test match ever hosted at the historic stadium, which has been the home of England cricket since 1884.

Women’s Test cricket is played infrequently, with England’s Ashes series loss to Australia in 2023 their most recent on home soil with no red-ball cricket scheduled next summer.

Heather Knight’s team were beaten at Trent Bridge by the Australians last summer and played India in Mumbai last December. They will play against South Africa in a one-off test in Bloemfontein this winter.

England are also scheduled to play in Australia for the 2025 Ashes.

“I played 15 Tests for England during my career but none of those were at Lord’s,” said former England player Claire Taylor, chair of the Marylebone Cricket Club’s cricket committee.

Women’s Test cricket is played relatively infrequently
Women’s Test cricket is played relatively infrequently (PA Archive)

“So I’m delighted at this news and most importantly for the players who’ll make history playing in this fixture in 2026.

“Young girls playing up and down the country can now aspire to play test match cricket at the home of cricket. It is a clear demonstration that cricket is a game for all.”

Richard Gould, chief executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), said the match will be a “truly special occasion, and one of real significance for the game”.

Knight’s side have featured at Lord’s in each of the last two summers, and secured World Cup glory at the ground in 2017.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in