Ecclestone makes history as England fight back

Sophie Ecclestone made history at Lord's, becoming England's leading wicket-taker across all formats as the hosts battled back against India on day one of the one-off Test. Ecclestone's 3-68 took her tally to 338 wickets, surpassing Katherine Sciver-Brunt's record.

India was bowled out for 285 after captain Nat Sciver-Brunt surprisingly opted to bowl first in scorching conditions. Smriti Mandhana was in fine form, scoring 83, and Harmanpreet Kaur and Deepti Sharma contributed half-centuries. However, India squandered a strong position, losing their last seven wickets for 95 runs.

England faced a challenging 11 overs before stumps, finishing at 21-1. They lost Tammy Beaumont for two in her final international match, leaving the game evenly poised. Earlier, debutant Lauren Filer took a wicket with her first ball in Test cricket, becoming the first woman to do so at Lord's.

The English bowlers appeared rusty initially but improved significantly after lunch. Mandhana's dismissal, a brilliant catch by Amy Jones off Issy Wong, triggered India's collapse. Mady Villiers, on debut, took two wickets, including Harmanpreet Kaur for 58, before Ecclestone wrapped up the innings.

Despite the historic moment for Ecclestone, the day was marked by England's bowlers struggling with consistency in the heat. The attack looked imbalanced due to Sciver-Brunt's limited bowling due to a calf injury and Charlie Dean's rest. However, Villiers and Ecclestone managed to rescue England from a potentially worse position.