England fast bowler Issy Wong said it was a “joy” to return to Test cricket as England quickly switched their focus from the disappointment of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup final to the historic first-ever women’s Test at Lord’s against India.
Just five days after England’s defeat to Australia in the World Cup final at the same venue, Wong played an important role with the ball as England bowled India out for 285 on the opening day. She finished with figures of 2/41 from 12 overs and also took an excellent low catch at backward square to give Lauren Filer her second wicket of the innings.
Wong dismissed both Jemimah Rodrigues and Smriti Mandhana, with Mandhana falling for a well-made 83 after giving India an excellent start.
The occasion was historic for women’s cricket, with Lord’s hosting its first-ever women’s Test match after more than 140 years of men’s Test cricket. More than 50 former England women’s players were present before the start of play, including 94-year-old Anne Sanders, who made her Test debut in 1954. The former players walked through the famous Long Room, rang the five-minute bell and stood on the field during the national anthems.
Wong admitted the ceremony was emotional and reminded the current players how much earlier generations had done to help women’s cricket reach this stage.
“It was a really special day to be a part of. Having all the ex-players there for the anthems … Amy Jones turned to me and said, ‘Oh, I’m getting a bit emotional actually’ when they were ringing the bell. It’s because of them that we’re in the position to have such special days like today, and then hopefully the next three days coming.”
She said the current England team understands the importance of continuing to grow women’s Test cricket and hopes Lord’s will host many more matches in the future.
“It’s not lost on us at all. It’s our duty to really appreciate it, but to also make sure that it happens again, because it absolutely should happen again. The passion in that group of players for Test cricket is really strong, and it’s something that I feel like they’ve passed on to us.”
“We want to pack the schedule with more and more Tests in the future. This is not a one-off occasion. Hopefully our names as a playing XI will be lost because there’ll be playing XIs after us that do much, much greater things. So as long as it’s a starting point, then it’s really exciting.”
Wong and fellow fast bowler Lauren Filer were both part of England’s Women’s T20 World Cup squad but did not play during the tournament. Instead, both had been preparing for the Test match and were excited to return to red-ball cricket.
“Particularly me and Lauren Filer, we’ve felt like we’ve been building towards this match for a while. There were only four red balls in the coaching bag, because we kept nicking them to bowl with. But any chance you get to use the red ball is really, just … it’s a joy to bowl with, to be honest.”
The Lord’s Test was Wong’s second appearance in the format after making her debut against South Africa in 2022. She revealed that her Test cap had been safely kept by her father during the long wait for another opportunity.
“My dad has been looking after my Test cap. We didn’t go home in between the World Cup and this, so he brought it to the World Cup final. But, I’ve looked after mine a bit better than Heather Knight. She had a bit of mould on the inside of hers that she had to scrape out.”
The week also saw Tammy Beaumont announce that she will retire from international cricket after the Lord’s Test. Wong praised Beaumont’s outstanding career and said the retirement news added another emotional moment to an already unforgettable week.
“It’s been a fast news week, hasn’t it? There’s all sorts going on, but it’s not a distraction. It’s been brilliant to see everybody that’s gone before us on the pitch with us. It felt like they were there out with us, and it’s been brilliant to see the reaction Tammy’s had to her retirement, because she’s had an outstanding career and she’s been a pleasure to share a dressing-room with.”
Although England had little time to recover from the World Cup final defeat, Wong said the team had quickly moved forward and embraced the excitement of playing a historic Test at Lord’s.
“Both days I walked into Lord’s and thought ‘today is going to be a good day’. I love the hum of people, and then things happen, and they get excited, and that gets you excited. You think, okay, ‘we’ve done something here, we’re doing something here … keep going’. Yeah, it’s the best format, and this is a great ground to do it on.”
With England reducing India to 285 on the opening day and making an early breakthrough in India’s reply, Wong and her teammates will now look to build on that strong start as the historic Lord’s Test continues.
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