Women's Test Cricket Explained: The Longest Format in Women's Game
What Women's Test cricket is — why only a small number of Women's Tests are played per year, the teams that play them, notable Women's Test matches, and why the format is gaining renewed attention after decades of near-dormancy.
Women's Test cricket is the five-day format played at the highest level of women's cricket — the most prestigious format of the women's game, equivalent to the men's Test match in cricket tradition. Women's Test matches began in 1934 (England vs Australia, the first Women's Test match, at Brisbane), but unlike men's Test cricket (played regularly throughout the year between multiple nations), Women's Tests have historically been extremely rare — sometimes as few as 2–4 Women's Tests per year globally. A renewed push from 2021 onwards has increased Women's Test play significantly.
Why Women's Tests Are Rare
Women's Tests are rare for several reasons: historically limited broadcast interest and commercial revenue made 5-day matches difficult to schedule and fund; the global women's cricket calendar is dominated by T20Is and ODIs; only a subset of Full Member nations have women's teams capable of fielding competitive Test matches (England, Australia, India, South Africa, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, Pakistan, West Indies); and the logistics of hosting 5-day women's matches across major venues require significant investment from cricket boards that have historically prioritised the men's game.
Notable Women's Tests
The Women's Ashes — England vs Australia in Women's Test cricket — is the most prominent Women's Test series, played as part of a multi-format 'Ashes points' series that includes T20Is and ODIs. The 2023 Women's Ashes featured a one-off Women's Test at Trent Bridge that drew significant media attention and a sell-out crowd — reflecting growing public interest in Women's Test cricket. India's Women's Test matches against England and Australia have also attracted major crowds and broadcast audiences since Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur became global stars.
The Multi-Format Series
The Women's Ashes and some other Women's bilateral series use a multi-format points structure: the one-off Women's Test carries 4 points (win), 2 points (draw), 0 (loss); each T20I carries 1 point; each ODI carries 2 points. The team with the most points across all formats wins the series. This structure means the Women's Test can be decisive — a Women's Test victory can effectively win the Ashes even before the white-ball component concludes. The points structure gives the Women's Test genuine strategic significance and has increased interest in individual Women's Test match results.
Frequently asked questions
When did Women's Test cricket start?
1934 — England vs Australia, the first Women's Test match, played at Brisbane. Women's Tests have been played since, but have historically been very rare — sometimes only 2–4 per year globally. Renewed investment from BCCI, ECB, and Cricket Australia from 2021 onwards has increased Women's Test frequency.
Why are Women's Tests so rare compared to men's Tests?
Limited historical broadcast interest and commercial revenue; women's cricket calendar dominated by T20Is and ODIs; only a subset of Full Member nations can field competitive Women's Test teams; and cricket board investment historically prioritised men's cricket. This is changing rapidly with pay equity, the WPL, and growing broadcast audiences for women's cricket.
What is the Women's Ashes multi-format series?
England vs Australia Women's cricket played across all three formats with points allocated: Women's Test = 4 points (win), T20Is = 1 point each, ODIs = 2 points each. The team with most points wins the Women's Ashes. The structure means the one-off Women's Test can be decisive for the overall series result.