Smriti Mandhana bats for Women's WTC

India vice-captain Mandhana wants World Test Championship for women; England opener Tammy Beaumont reckons it’s not the right time

India’s most experienced Test cricketer in the current team, vice-captain Smriti Mandhana, 27, wants a World Test Championship (WTC) for women as well. However, England opener Tammy Beaumont reckoned the idea is impractical considering only few countries are playing the longer format regularly.   

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“I would love to be a part of the World Test Championship, but that is for the boards and the ICC to decide,” Mandhana said on Tuesday.

The Harmanpreet Kaur-led India and Heather Knight’s England team will play in a one-off Test at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai starting on Thursday. 

Tammy Beaumont

The Indian women’s team last played a Test at home in 2014 when they beat South Africa by 34 runs under Mithali Raj’s captaincy in Mysore.

“Having watched a lot of men’s Test cricket and championships, it would be really exciting to be a part of something of that sort. But that would be their [administrators] decision,” added Mandhana, who has represented the country in four Tests.

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Beaumont, 32, preparing for her ninth Test appearance, felt it’s not the right time for a women’s WTC. “I do not think it is quite the right time, if I am honest. One day, I would love to see a World Test Championship but at the moment I do not think it would be fair when you have India, Australia and England, who have played a lot of Tests in the last four years, but other teams like Pakistan, Sri Lanka and New Zealand have not played any Test cricket in the last 15 years,” Beaumont remarked.      
 
Beaumont, who made her ODI debut against West Indies in 2009 and played her maiden Test versus Australia in 2013 added: “The imbalance is still there, we need to build it from the ground up a little bit longer and definitely have many Tests.”

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