Ecclestone breaks record - in front of those who paved the way

On a day of firsts, 336 ended up being the magic number.

Sophie Ecclestone took some time to make her mark on the historic occasion, the first women's Test at Lord's, but it was worth the wait as the wicket of Sayali Satghare in the 73rd over of the day took her to the top of England's wicket-taking charts across all three formats.

She surpassed fiery fast bowler Katherine Sciver-Brunt's 335 and figures of 3-68 took her to third on the all-time list across sides behind India's Deepti Sharma, also playing in this match, and her compatriot Jhulan Goswami.

It helped England bowl India out for 285, before they lost Tammy Beaumont in reply to close on 21-1.

Though the day was about more than just records, as the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) took the chance to honour those who paved the way in the amateur era, before women were even allowed to be MCC members - let alone dream of gracing the hallowed turf in whites.

Former players including Enid Bakewell - named in 2014 as one of Wisden's all-time greatest women's cricketers - and World Cup winning bowler Anya Shrubsole were in attendance, emotionally ringing the bell on the outfield before play on a day that has arguably come too late, but that did not take away from its significance.

"This morning was really wholesome," World Cup winner Alex Hartley told BBC Test Match Special, having been included in the celebrations.

"It was so lovely to see all the past players. It was a beautiful day and it's great for the ECB to recognise those players who paved the way."

It was therefore fitting that it was Ecclestone of all players who took the headlines, the teenage prodigy turned attack leader who has known nothing but professionalism in her career, making this the new norm.

We have become so accustomed to seeing her twirling her left-arm spin like a metronome, picking up wickets for fun, that it is easy to forget she is still only 27 years old.

Alongside Deepti, also only 28, it feels like the pair are in a tight race to become the first woman to take 400 internationals across formats.

"It's pretty special, it's been a big 10 years," Ecclestone, who made her debut in 2016, told BBC Test Match Special.

"I would've never dreamt of anything like this. I've got no words, just buzzing it happened.

"Walking out of the Long Room with the ex-players there - yeah, once in a lifetime day."

The build-up for the Test, away from the importance of it being at this venue, was unusual considering its timing five days after England lost to Australia in the Women's T20 World Cup final.

Usually, women's Tests are played as part of multi-format series, to help give context to them. That was first introduced to the Women's Ashes in 2013 and was integral in securing the relevance of the format as the women's game grew and developed.

Had England won on Sunday, the vibe would obviously have felt different - perhaps more of an opportunity for the ECB to seize, making the most of any momentum that was gathered.

Despite that, a standalone Test had not lost its meaning to seamer Issy Wong, who did not play a game in England's World Cup run but felt that gave her more of a chance to hone her skills with the red ball.

"It was a really special day to be a part of, having all the ex-players out there and we were all a bit emotional during the anthems," Wong said.

"It's because of them that we are in the position to have such special days like this.

"We only had four red balls in the coaching bag, but it's a joy to bowl with it again."

Wong had a tricky start to the day, bowling an understandably rusty opening spell after over a month carrying drinks, before fighting back to claim the huge wickets of Jemimah Rodrigues and Smriti Mandhana after they threatened to take the game away.

It followed a trend for England who claimed three wickets in the morning session despite only finding a good line and length with 18% of deliveries in the opening 80 minutes of play - a record-low for a women's Test.

They improved throughout the day and it was fitting that Wong, who similarly to Ecclestone has been somewhat of a poster girl for English women's cricket since she burst on to the scene in 2022, and is now enjoying a revival to her career after a brief stall.

Women's Tests are so infrequent that Wong did not even have her Test cap in her kit bag and her dad had to deliver it to her at the final, but the joy that these players have for the longest format and the desire to play it more often shone through - which is perhaps one of the biggest gifts they could give to their predecessors watching on at the Home of Cricket.