Lord's to host women's Test for first time

England lost the Ashes Test to Australia in 2023 before fighting back to level the points-based series

England will face India in the first ever women's Test match to be held at Lord's in 2026.

It will be England's first home Test since the 2023 Ashes, when Australia won at Trent Bridge.

That was a five-day Test, compared to the usual women's format of four days, but the duration of the Lord's match is yet to be confirmed.

Heather Knight's Test side faced India in Mumbai in December 2023, and also travel to South Africa this winter for another.

They will also play a Test during the away Ashes tour of 2025, which will be hosted at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Women's Tests are played rarely, usually as one-off Tests scheduled into a longer white-ball series.

But India have recently shown a desire for more Tests, having faced England, South Africa and Australia in the last three years.

White-ball matches are regularly staged at Lord's, including England's historic World Cup win in 2017, last year's Ashes T20 and the T20 against New Zealand earlier this summer.

Captain Knight is England's most experienced Test player, with 12 caps.