Fahey anchors NZ Women to dull draw

New Zealand Women 201 (Tiffen 66*) and 102 for 4 (Fahey 60*) drew with India Women 277 (Kala 109, Jain 55, Steele 5-79)
Scorecard

The only Test of the tour between India Women and New Zealand Women drifted to a dull draw on the fourth day of the match - and chances are that even if there had been four more days, it might have ended the same way. New Zealand Women crawled to 102 for 4 in 99 overs in their second innings, anchored by a doughty 60 not out by Maria Fahey. Fahey may have made more than half the runs for her team, but she took her time doing it - all of 303 balls, spanning more than six-and-a-half hours.

The final day was a battle of attrition, with the few spectators being the ones to suffer. All of 93 runs were scored in 83 overs, as New Zealand Women batted with as much resolve as, but far less initiative than, their male counterparts earlier this year. Even hit-me balls were patted or padded away, and they appeared to be batting with the view that drawing the Test would be a moral victory for them.

The experienced Neetu David was the most impressive of the Indian bowlers, plugging away to take 3 for 35 in her 37 overs - though one of those wickets was an umpiring blunder on the third evening, when Kate Pulford was wrongly given out caught behind. The New Zealanders complained, but while the decision meant that Pulford had bagged a Gooch-like pair on debut, it did not impact on the match in any way.

The two teams now take each other on in five one-day internationals, which are bound to produce results and will, thus, be of more interest than what has to count as one of the dullest Tests of recent years. Perhaps women's cricket needs an Australia.