England vs India, King’s Test player ratings: Sophie Ecclestone makes history as Tammy Beaumont and Heather Knight retire from international cricket | Cricket news

England lost by 270 runs to India in the first women’s Test at Lord’s – here’s how the players rated it…

Maia Bouchier – 5

Batting: 23 and 2

Bouchier batted brilliantly on the first night to safely negotiate a tough hour to get to stumps, then fell in the third over on the second morning to spark England’s top-flight 47-4 from which they failed to really recover.

He, like one or two in this group, should be given a few more chances given a remarkable retirement – he needs to understand them.

Tammy Beaumont – 4

Batting: 2 and 0

It’s a sad way for such a good servant of English cricket to bow as he conceded just two runs in the farewell Test, with his brutal second innings duck.

In the end he was hurt by two deliveries from Kranti Gaud that went too far back, caught him lbw the first time and took him off stump the second time.

His success, as was the case throughout his career, was exemplary.

Heather Knight – 5

Hitting: 6 and 13

Knight was less successful as she also closed the book on her international career, the England women’s all-rounder announcing her decision during the Test.

He was pinned in front in the second hour by Sayali Satghare, and his final Test innings was ended by being given a bat-pad at short leg.

Nat Sciver-Brunt – 6

Batting: 44 and 11

The captain, like the rest of his team, looked affected after the four-day gap between England’s defeat in the T20 World Cup final against Australia and the women’s historic first Test at Lord’s.

His second innings delivery – bowled to Sneh Rana after being saved by DRS – looked very tired.

In the first innings, he, along with Amy Jones, tried his best to hold the team together as they put on an 84-run fifth-wicket partnership following a top-order collapse on day two – but in the end it was one of Gaud’s five runs that earned the Indian seamer a place on the Lord’s Honors Board.

Alice Capsey – 5

Calling: 9 and 21

A pretty forgettable first Test for Capsey, with modest hits in both innings before being bowled.

It’s easy to forget that she’s only 21 years old, as she made her debut five years ago at the age of 16 in the first season of The Hundred.

With the big holes left by Beaumont and Knight – across all formats – the key moment for Capsey, he feels, is now to establish himself as a consistent contributor to the team.

Amy Jones – 7

Hitting: 52 and 54

A return to batting form for Jones after struggling during the T20 World Cup, where he returned five singles in his six innings following a fifty in the first game of the tournament.

He was back to bat for half-centuries here, notching two of them as he offered stiff resistance to his senior team-mates – although his dismissal of Rana, in both innings, was ultimately tame.

Jones also caught a few good balls, got up to Smriti Mandhana in the first innings, and went down legside off Mandhana again in the second innings.

Mady Villiers – 7

Hitting: 10 and 26; Bowling: 2-79 and 0-42

It’s a stunning return to England after playing just five matches – three ODIs and two T20s against Ireland until the end of summer 2024 – in the last five years.

Making his Test debut, Villiers was the man of the match on the first day, taking 2-79 as he and Issy Wong were rewarded with a post-lunch innings that helped bring England back to form after a poor morning – the dismissal of off-spinner Harmanpreet Kaur, bowled outside the wicket, a highlight.

There were glimpses of the batting depth he could offer, especially in the second innings, before his enjoyment was ended by a reflex-triggered catch by Richa Ghosh at silly mid-off.

Sophie Ecclestone – 8

Bowling: 3-68 and 5-118; Batting: 11 and 50

As he used to play for England, Ecclestone was their best player – and, arguably, not only with the ball as he produced his best career and the five-year-old showed untapped potential with the bat.

He raised India’s low first-innings order to become England’s leading wicket-taker across formats, before claiming his fourth Test fifth in the second innings to earn a well-deserved and much-coveted place on Lord’s Honors Board.

Issy Wong – 6

Bowling: 2-41 and 0-68; Batting: 7 and 1

Wong claimed the crucial wicket of Mandhana on 83 in the first innings, which saw the Indians slide from 190-3 to 285 all out after he and Villiers worked well in tandem to fight back for England.

Less than ideal is the second round, however, which looks expensive at 4.85 an over. Consistency at this level is still a problem for the young fast bowler.

Lauren Bell – 5

Bowling: 1-50 and 2-27; Batting: 3 and 0

Not his best outing, with England struggling to find any form in the Test match after a terrible first hour in which India put up 100 in over 18 overs.

He bowled Yastika Bhatia beautifully then, but bowled just nine overs for 50 runs in that first innings, before getting a better result in the second innings, by which time it was too late in the game.

Lauren Filer – 4

Bowling: 2-40 and 0-61; Hitting: 0 and 4 no

Filer has been under-prepared for this game, having not played cricket last month while warming the bench during the T20 World Cup.

His second ball of the entire Test – a snorter to get Shafali Verma through to Jones – would be as good as it would get for the fast bowler who disappeared after that with no miles on his legs.

Watch cricket and other top sports live on Sky Sports contract-free NOW. England men begin a three-match one-day international series at home to India on Tuesday, Edgbaston, with a broadcast Sky Sports Cricket from 10.15am (first ball at 11am).