Statsman: Deepti Sharma’s unique milestone and all the numbers from India women’s Test cricket run

India Women registered a thumping 347-run win over England in Navi Mumbai, registering a number of milestones along the way. Mohandas Menon looks at some of the most important numbers from the Test.

Indian spin bowling all-rounder Deepti Sharma had an outing to remember against England in Navi Mumbai. | Photo Credit: Emmanual Yogini

Deepti joins elite club

 

4 The number of players who have the distinction of registering a fifty in an innings and claiming at least nine wickets in the same Test in women’s cricket. India’s Deepti Sharma became the latest to join this elite group in the recent Navi Mumbai Test match against England. This rare feat has been achieved on six occasions, with Aussie Betty Wilson doing so on three occasions. Wilson and Englishwoman Enid Bakewell are the only players in the list below to complete the rarest feats of scoring a century and claim a 10-wicket haul in a match.

A 50 in an innings and 9-wicket hauls in a match in women’s Test cricket

Runs	wickets	Player	For	Agst	Venue	Month, Year	Result
90	4/37 & 6/28	Betty Wilson+	Aus	NZ	Wellington	Mar 1948	Won
111 & 22	6/23 & 3/39	Betty Wilson	Aus	Eng	Adelaide	Jan 1949	Won
12 & 100	7/7 & 4/9	Betty Wilson+	Aus	Eng	Melbourne (St. Kilda)	Feb 1958	Drawn
68 & 112*	3/14 & 7/61	Enid Bakewell+	Eng	WI	Birmingham	July 1979	Won
52	5/47 & 4/64	Kat Sciver-Brunt+	Eng	Aus	Worcester	Aug 2005	Won
67 & 20	5/7 & 4/32	Deepti Sharma	Ind	Eng	Navi Mumbai	Dec 2023	Won

+ Players with a fifty and 10-wicket haul in a Test match

 

49 The number of balls debutant Shubha Satheesh took to record her maiden Test fifty in Navi Mumbai against England. Her performance is one of the quickest-recorded fifties in women’s cricket. Both Venessa Bowen and Shubha were on debut.

Fastest to 50 runs in women’s Test cricket (where balls are recorded)

Balls to fifty	Batter (final score & balls faced)	For	Against	Venue	Month, Year	Result
40	Venessa Bowen (63 in 52 balls)	Sri Lanka	Pakistan	Colombo, CCC	Apr 1998	Won
42	Sangita Dabir (50* in 42 balls)	India	England	Kolkata CCFC	Nov 1995	Drawn
48	Nat Sciver-Brunt (58 in 62 balls)	England	Australia	Canberra	Jan 2022	Drawn
49	Shubha Satheesh (69 in 76 balls)	India	England	Navi Mumbai	Dec 2023	Won
51	Smriti Mandhana (127 in 216 balls)	India	Australia	Carrara	Sep 2021	Drawn

 

428 India’s total in Navi Mumbai is now the highest in women’s Test cricket, where none of the 11 batters could register a three-figure score. India also held the previous record.

Highest innings totals without an individual century in women’s Test cricket

Total	For	Against	Venue	Month, Year	50s	Highest score	Result
428/10	India	England	Navi Mumbai	Dec 2023	4	Shubha Satheesh 69	Won
404/9d	India	South Africa	Paarl	Mar 2002	5	Anjum Chopra 80	Won
396/9d	England	India	Bristol	Jun 2021	3	Heather Knight 95	Drawn
366/7d	Australia	England	Hove	Aug-Sep 1987	4	Ruth Buckstein 83	Drawn
362/5	New Zealand	England	Guildford	Jul 1996	4	Kristy Bond 97	Drawn

Note:the top four New Zealand players made 60+ scores

 

4.09 The run-rate achieved by India women in their first innings against England women in the Navi Mumbai Test match. This is now the second highest run-rate achieved by any Test side in women’s Test cricket history in an innings, while scoring at least 300 runs.

Highest run-rates by Test sides in women’s cricket: Minimum: 300-plus totals

RR	Team	Total	Overs	Match Inns	Against	Venue	Month, Year	Result
4.13	Australia	427/8d	103.2	2	England	Worcester	Aug 1998	Drawn
4.09	India	428	104.3	1	England	Navi Mumbai	Dec 2023	Won
3.92	England	503/5d	128	2	New Zealand	Christchurch	Feb 1935	Won
3.81	England	463	121.2	2	Australia	Nottingham	June 2023	Lost
3.80	Australia	473	124.2	1	England	Nottingham	June 2023	Won

 

23 The number of byes conceded by England wicket-keeper Amy Jones in India’s first innings in Navi Mumbai. Her dubious effort is now the most-ever conceded by any wicket-keeper in an innings in women’s Test cricket.

Most byes conceded in a Test innings in women’s cricket

Byes	Conceded by	wicket-keeper	Against	Venue	Month, year	Result
23	England	Amy Jones	India	New Mumbai	Dec 2023	Lost
22	South Africa	Dulcie Wood	England	Cape Town	Jan 1961	Drawn
21	Pakistan	Asma Farzand	Sri Lanka	Colombo	Apr 1998	Lost
20	South Africa	Eleanor Lambert	England	Port Elizabeth	Dec 1960	Drawn

 

2 The number of Test sides in women’s cricket to achieve 400+ runs in a single day’s play. In the Test match in Navi Mumbai, the Indian women emulated the English women after 88 years by scoring 410 runs on the opening day. The latter had made 431 against New Zealand in Christchurch in February 1935.

Highest team totals in a single day’s play in a women’s Test

Totals	Overs	For	Against	Venue	Achieved on	Result
431-4	— (data not available)	England	New Zealand	Christchurch	16 Feb 1935	Won
410-7	94	India	England	Navi Mumbai	14 Dec 2023	Won
362-5	100	New Zealand	England	Guildford	12 Jul 1996	Drawn
351-6	104	England	South Africa	Johannesburg	17 Dec 1960	Drawn
332-7	105	England	India	Worcester	12 Jul 1986	Drawn

Notes:

** in Christchurch, England made these runs after dismissing New Zealand for 44 in 28.2 overs

** All the above instances occurred on the first day of the Test match

 

19 The number of wickets that fell on the second day of the Navi Mumbai Test match. This is now the joint second-highest number of wickets to fall on any day of a women’s Test match and the most to fall in a single day’s play on Indian soil. The record number of wickets remains at 24 in the women’s Ashes Test match at St. Kilda in Melbourne in February 1958.

Most wickets to fall in a day’s play in women’s Test cricket

Wkts	Team1 (wkts)	Team2 (wkts)	Venue	Date	Day	Result
24	Australia (14)	England (10)	Melbourne (St. Kilda)	22 Feb 1958	2+	Drawn
19	England (9)	Australia (10)	Blackpool	28 Jun 1937	3	England won by 25 runs
19	England (9)	Australia (10)	The Oval	13 Jul 1937	3	Drawn
19	Australia (9)	England (10)	Worcester	1 Jul 1951	2	Australia won by 2 wkts
19	England (9)	Australia (10)	Brisbane	16 Feb 2003	2	Australia won by 5 wkts
19	India (9)	England (10)	Navi Mumbai	15 Dec 2023	2	India won by 347 runs

+ there was no play on the first day

 

66 The number of boundaries (including two sixes) hit by the Indian women batters in the first innings in Navi Mumbai against England. Only two other sides struck more in women’s Test cricket in an innings.

Most boundaries (4s and 6s) hit in an innings in women’s Tests

Bds	(4+6)	For	Against	Venue	Month, Year	Result
72	(72+0)	England (455)	South Africa	Taunton	Aug 2003	Won
67	(66+1)	Australia (569/6d)	England	Guildford	Aug 1998	Drawn
66	(64+2)	India (428)	England	New Mumbai	Dec 2023	Won
63	(63+0)	England (463)	Australia	Nottingham	June 2023	Lost
61	(61+0)	England (497)	South Africa	Shenley	Aug 2003	Drawn

Note: the number of fours hit by India is also the third-highest in women’s Test cricket

 

479 The target set by India in the Navi Mumbai Test match is now the highest by any side in women’s Test cricket. Sri Lanka is the only other side to set a target of 400 or more in women’s Test cricket.

Highest target set in the fourth innings in women’s Test cricket

Target	Set by	Against	Venue	Month, Year	Result
479	India	England (131)	Navi Mumbai	Dec 2023	Ind won by 347 runs
410	Sri Lanka	Pakistan (100)	Colombo CCC	Apr 1998	SL won by 309 runs
338	England	New Zealand (174/6)	Worcester	Jul 1954	Drawn
315	Australia	England (128)	Adelaide	Jan 1949	Aus won by 186 runs
311	New Zealand	England (225/8)	Guildford	Jul 1996	Drawn
311	India	England (210/6)	Delhi (Jamia Millia CG)	Nov 2005	Drawn

 

 

 

347 The margin of victory by runs for India against England in Navi Mumbai is now the biggest in women’s Test cricket history. India became the second side to win by a margin of 300 runs or more in women’s Test cricket.

Biggest victory margin by runs in women’s Test cricket

Runs	For	Losing side	Venue	Achieved on	Winning captain
347	India	England	Navi Mumbai	16 Dec 2023	Harmanpreet Kaur
309	Sri Lanka	Pakistan	Colombo, CCC	20 Apr 1998	Rasa Silva
188	New Zealand	South Africa	Durban	13 Mar 1972	Trish McKelvey
186	Australia	England	Adelaide	18 Jan 1949	Mollie Dive
185	England	New Zealand	Auckland	29 Mar 1949	Molly Hide

 

All records are correct and updated until 16 December 2023