Women's Test cricket is the longest format of
women's cricket
Women's cricket is the form of the team sport of cricket when played by women only. It is played at the professional level in multiple countries around the world and 108 national teams participate internationally. 11 of them have WTest and WODI ...
and is the female equivalent to men's
Test cricket
Test cricket is a form of first-class cricket played at international level between teams representing full member countries of the International Cricket Council (ICC). A match consists of four innings (two per team) and is scheduled to last fo ...
. Matches comprise four-innings and are held over a maximum of four days between two of the leading cricketing nations. The rules governing the format differ little from those for the men's game, with differences generally being technicalities surrounding umpiring and field size.
The first women's Test match was played by
England women and
Australia women in December
1934
Events
January–February
* January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established.
* January 15 – The 8.0 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake, Nepal–Bihar earthquake strik ...
, a three-day contest held in
Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...
which England won by nine wickets. A total of 144 Women's Test matches have been played. Far fewer matches are played each year in favour of
Women's One Day International
Women's One Day International (WODI) is the limited overs form of women's cricket. Matches are scheduled for 50 overs, equivalent to the men's game. The first women's ODIs were played in 1973, as part of the first Women's World Cup which was ...
s and
Women's Twenty20 International
Women's Twenty20 International (WT20I) is the shortest form of women's international cricket. A women's Twenty20 International is a 20 overs-per-side cricket match between two of the International Cricket Council (ICC) members. The first Twent ...
s, with the international calendar revolving around the shorter formats of the game.
Playing conditions
Women's Test cricket is subject to the
Laws of cricket
The ''Laws of Cricket'' is a code which specifies the rules of the game of cricket worldwide. The earliest known code was drafted in 1744 and, since 1788, it has been owned and maintained by its custodian, the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in Lond ...
, with a number of variations and refinements, which are set out in the ICC's "Women's Test match playing conditions" document. For the most part, these playing conditions are very similar to those set out for men's Test cricket. Matches are played between two teams of eleven players, across up to four
innings
An innings is one of the divisions of a cricket match during which one team takes its turn to bat. Innings also means the period in which an individual player bats (acts as either striker or nonstriker). Innings, in cricket, and rounders, is bot ...
. Test cricket can have three
results
A result is the outcome of an event.
Result or Results may also refer to: Music
* Results (album), ''Results'' (album), a 1989 album by Liza Minnelli
* ''Results'', a 2012 album by Murder Construct
* "The Result", a single by The Upsetters
* "The ...
: a tie, a draw, or one team wins.
The primary, and most noticeable, difference from the men's game is that women's Test matches are played over four days, rather than five. However, the players are expected to fit more
overs in per hour in the women's game than the men's: 17 as opposed to 15, and so a full day's play in a women's Test match should include 100 overs, rather than 90. The
cricket field
A cricket field is a large grass field on which the game of cricket is played. Although generally oval in shape, there is a wide variety within this: some are almost perfect circles, some elongated ovals and some entirely irregular shapes with l ...
has smaller dimensions; the boundaries must be between , in contrast to the required in men's Tests.
As well as playing on a smaller field, the women use a smaller and lighter
ball
A ball is a round object (usually spherical, but can sometimes be ovoid) with several uses. It is used in ball games, where the play of the game follows the state of the ball as it is hit, kicked or thrown by players. Balls can also be used f ...
than their male counterparts; the Laws of cricket dictate that women should use a ball that is between and
ounce
The ounce () is any of several different units of mass, weight or volume and is derived almost unchanged from the , an Ancient Roman units of measurement, Ancient Roman unit of measurement.
The #International avoirdupois ounce, avoirdupois ounce ...
s (139.98 and 150.61 grams); which could be up to ounces (23.03 grams) lighter than the ball used by the men. The
Decision Review System
The Decision Review System (DRS), formerly known as the Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS), is a technology-based system used in cricket to assist the match officials in their decision-making. On-field Umpire (cricket), umpires may choose to co ...
(UDRS) is now available in women's Test matches, also
umpires
An umpire is an official in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection.
The term derives from the Old French nonper, ''non'', "not" and ''per'', ...
are permitted to ask the
third umpire
The third umpire (or TV Umpire) is an off- field umpire used in some cricket matches, particularly international matches. Their role is to make the final decision in questions referred to them by the two on-field umpires or the players.
The thir ...
to check television replays in certain cases.
As women's tests are played over four days the minimum lead to impose a
follow-on
In the game of cricket, a team who batted second and scored significantly fewer runs than the team who batted first may be forced to follow-on: to take their second innings immediately after their first. The follow-on can be enforced by the team ...
is 150 runs, compared to 200 in men's test cricket.
Nations
In all, ten national women's teams have competed in Test cricket. The
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
team's tour of
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
and
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
in the 1934–35 season established the first three sides, and it is those three teams that have competed in Test cricket most frequently; each having played at least 45 matches.
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
were the next side to play the format, contesting their first match in 1960.
However, due in part to their exclusion from international sport due to the nation's
apartheid
Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...
policy, they have only played in thirteen Test matches, fewer than
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. Four sides —
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
,
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
, the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
and
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
— have competed in fewer than five Test matches.
Recent developments
As of April 2019, there had only been one Women's Test match in the previous three years, and only two teams other than England and Australia had played in a Women's Test in the previous ten years. Australia's captain,
Meg Lanning
Meghann Moira Lanning (born 25 March 1992) is an Australian cricketer who currently captains the national women's team. She has been a member of six successful world championship campaigns, winning two Women's Cricket World Cup and four ICC ...
, expressed her interest in more Women's Test matches being played. In July 2019, following the conclusion of the
one-off Women's Ashes Test in England, the question was raised about whether Women's Test matches should be played across five days, instead of four. The match had two sessions washed out and finished in a draw.
In December 2019, New Zealand's
Sophie Devine
Sophie Frances Monique Devine (born 1 September 1989) is a New Zealand sportswoman, who has represented New Zealand in both cricket for the New Zealand national women's cricket team (''White Ferns''), and in field hockey as a member of the New ...
requested that administrators arrange a Women's Test match between New Zealand and Australia, following a strong performance in the
Women's Big Bash League
The Women's Big Bash League (known as the WBBL and, for sponsorship reasons, the Weber WBBL) is the Australian women's domestic Twenty20 cricket competition. The WBBL replaced the Australian Women's Twenty20 Cup, which ran from the 2007–08 ...
. New Zealand's women last played in a Test match in 2004, and their last encounter against Australia in the format was in 1996. In June 2020, during an ICC webinar, Devine and India's
Jemimah Rodrigues
Jemimah Jessica Rodrigues ( ; born 5 September 2000) is an Indian cricketer. She is an allrounder who plays for the Indian national women's cricket team and Mumbai women's cricket team. In addition, she also played for the Under-17 Maharashtra ...
both supported the idea of a multi-format series for women's cricket.
In April 2021, the ICC awarded permanent Test and
One Day International
A One Day International (ODI) is a form of limited overs cricket, played between two teams with international status, in which each team faces a fixed number of overs, currently 50, with the game lasting up to 9 hours. The Cricket World C ...
(ODI) status to all full member women's teams.
On
International Women's Day 2021, it was announced that India and England would play a one-off Test later in the year.
The Test was played at
Bristol County Ground
The Bristol County Ground (also known as Nevil Road and currently known as the Seat Unique Stadium for sponsorship reasons) is a senior cricket venue in Bristol, England. It is in the district of Ashley Down. The ground is home to Gloucestershir ...
, between 16 and 19 June 2021. Additionally, the
Board of Control for Cricket in India
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is the national governing body for cricket in India. Its headquarters are situated at Cricket centre, Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The BCCI is the richest governing body of cricket in the world ...
was said to be in talks with
Cricket Australia
Cricket Australia (CA), formerly known as the Australian Cricket Board (ACB), is the governing body for professional and amateur cricket in Australia. It was originally formed in 1905 as the 'Australian Board of Control for International Crick ...
about a possible Test match between India and Australia.
Between 2000 and June 2021, only thirty women's Test matches were played, with fourteen of those being Ashes Tests between Australia and England.
On 20 May 2021, Cricket Australia confirmed that an Australia versus India Test match would be played at the
WACA Ground
The WACA (formally the WACA Ground) is a sports stadium in Perth, Western Australia. The stadium's name derives from the initials of its owners and operators, the Western Australian Cricket Association.
The WACA has been referred to as Wester ...
, Perth, between 30 September and 3 October 2021.
Due to COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions, the match was later moved to
Metricon Stadium
Carrara Stadium (known commercially as Metricon Stadium) is a stadium on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia, located in the suburb of Carrara.
The stadium is primarily used for Australian rules football, serving as the home ground of th ...
on the
Gold Coast
Gold Coast may refer to:
Places Africa
* Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana:
** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642)
** Dutch G ...
in Queensland.
Another Test match, between Australia and England, was played at
Manuka Oval
Manuka Oval is a sporting venue in Canberra, the capital of Australia. It is located in Griffith, in the area of that suburb known as Manuka. Manuka Oval has a seating capacity of 13,550 people and an overall capacity of 16,000 people, althoug ...
, Canberra, between 27 and 30 January 2022, as part of the
2021–22 Women's Ashes series. Both of these matches ended in a draw.
In an interview on the BBC ''
Test Match Special
''Test Match Special'' (also known as ''TMS'') is a British sports radio programme, originally, as its name implies, dealing exclusively with Test cricket matches, but currently covering any professional cricket. It broadcasts on BBC Radio 4 LW ...
'' radio programme during the 1st Test of
the New Zealand men's tour of England in early June 2022, Greg Barclay, Chair of the
International Cricket Council
The International Cricket Council (ICC) is the world governing body of cricket. Headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, its members are List of International Cricket Council members, 108 national associations, with 12 List of Internation ...
(ICC), asserted that women's Test cricket will not be "part of the landscape moving forward to any real extent".
The assertion generated significant controversy, and also calls from former women's Test cricketers and others for the ICC to return control of the women's game to women's cricket associations.
At the end of June 2022, England and South Africa played their first women's Test match against each other since 2003. The match was South Africa's first women's Test since
November 2014. It was played at the
County Ground,
Taunton
Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England, with a 2011 population of 69,570. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century monastic foundation, Taunton Castle, which later became a priory. The Normans built a castle owned by the ...
, England, and was the first stage of
a multi-format South African tour of England.
Records
![BettyWilson](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/BettyWilson.jpg)
Due to the infrequent playing of women's Test cricket outside of Australia, England and New Zealand, cumulative records, such as the most runs during a career, are dominated by players from those three nations. England's
Jan Brittin
Janette Ann Brittin (4 July 1959 – 11 September 2017) was an English cricketer who played as a right-handed Batting (cricket), batter and right-arm Off spin, off break Bowler (cricket), bowler. She appeared in 27 Women's Test cricket, Tests ...
has scored the most runs during her career, totalling 1,935 during her 27 matches, and 18 of the top twenty players come from either Australia, England or New Zealand.
The Australian batsman
Denise Annetts
Denise Audrey Annetts (married name Denise Anderson; born 30 January 1964) is an Australian former cricketer who played as a right-handed batter. She appeared in 10 Test matches and 43 One Day Internationals for Australia between 1985 and 19 ...
, who is 15th on that list,
has the highest
batting average
Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic.
Cricket
In cricket, a player's batting average is ...
, 81.90, from her ten matches. Annetts was also involved in the largest
partnership
A partnership is an arrangement where parties, known as business partners, agree to cooperate to advance their mutual interests. The partners in a partnership may be individuals, businesses, interest-based organizations, schools, governments o ...
in women's Test cricket, sharing a stand of 309 runs with
Lindsay Reeler in 1987. Seven women have scored double
centuries
A century is a period of 100 years. Centuries are numbered ordinally in English and many other languages. The word ''century'' comes from the Latin ''centum'', meaning ''one hundred''. ''Century'' is sometimes abbreviated as c.
A centennial or ...
in Test cricket; the highest of these was the 242 runs scored by Pakistan's
Kiran Baluch
Kiran Maqsood Baluch (born 23 February 1978) is a Pakistani former cricketer who played as an all-rounder, batting right-handed and bowling right-arm off break. She appeared in three Test matches and 40 One Day Internationals for Pakistan. She h ...
against the West Indies in 2004.
Mary Duggan
Mary may refer to:
People
* Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name)
Religious contexts
* New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below
* Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...
, who played for England between 1949 and 1963 is the leading wicket-taker in women's Test cricket, claiming 77 wickets from 17 matches. The next most prolific bowler is Australia's
Betty Wilson, who claimed her 68 wickets at the lowest
bowling average
In cricket, a player's bowling average is the number of runs they have conceded per wicket taken. The lower the bowling average is, the better the bowler is performing. It is one of a number of statistics used to compare bowlers, commonly use ...
, 11.80 and the first hat-trick in Women's Test cricket. Both of the players with the best bowling figures, in an innings and in a match, are from the
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...
; India's
Neetu David
Neetu Lawrence David (born 1 September 1977) is an Indian former cricketer and current chairperson of the selection panel of the India women's cricket team. She played as a slow left-arm orthodox bowler. She appeared in 10 Test matches and 97 ...
holds the record for the best figures in an innings, having taken eight second innings wickets against England in 1995, while Pakistan's
Shaiza Khan took thirteen wickets in a match against the West Indies in 2004.
Amongst
wicket-keeper
The wicket-keeper in the sport of cricket is the player on the fielding side who stands behind the wicket or stumps being watchful of the batsman and ready to take a catch, stump the batsman out and run out a batsman when occasion arises. Th ...
s,
Christina Matthews
Christina Matthews (; born 26 December 1959) is an Australian former cricketer who played as a wicket-keeper and right-handed batter. She appeared in 20 Test matches and 47 One Day Internationals for Australia between 1984 and 1995, including ...
has taken the most dismissals in her career, accumulating 46 catches and 12 stumpings during her 20 matches for Australia.
Lisa Nye holds the record for the most dismissals in a single innings, having been responsible for eight of the ten wickets for England against New Zealand in 1992. Only two players have achieved the
all-rounder
An all-rounder is a cricketer who regularly performs well at both batting and bowling. Although all bowlers must bat and quite a handful of batsmen do bowl occasionally, most players are skilled in only one of the two disciplines and are consi ...
s double of scoring a century and taking ten wickets in the same match;
Betty Wilson did it against England in 1958, while
Enid Bakewell managed it for England against the West Indies in 1979. Wilson's performance was the first time such a feat had been achieved in Men's or Women's Tests and also included the first
hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three.
Origin
The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...
in Women's Tests.
See also
*
List of women's Test cricket grounds
*
The Women's Ashes
The Women's Ashes is the perpetual trophy in women's international cricket series between England and Australia. The name derives from the historic precedent of the Ashes in male cricket and, until 2013, was similarly decided exclusively on the ...
*
Women's One Day International cricket
Women's One Day International (WODI) is the limited overs form of women's cricket. Matches are scheduled for 50 overs, equivalent to the men's game. The first women's ODIs were played in 1973, as part of the first Women's World Cup which was ...
*
Women's Twenty20 International
Women's Twenty20 International (WT20I) is the shortest form of women's international cricket. A women's Twenty20 International is a 20 overs-per-side cricket match between two of the International Cricket Council (ICC) members. The first Twent ...
References
{{Forms of cricket