England Women beat New Zealand as Charlotte Edwards reaches landmark
Wednesday 25 February 2015 08:12, UK
Charlotte Edwards celebrated her 200th match as captain of England Women with a five-wicket win over New Zealand that sealed a 2-1 Twenty20 international series victory in Lincoln.
Edwards, who officially took charge of the team in 2006, made just five from nine balls on her landmark appearance, but England were able to chase down a modest target of 98 at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval.
The 35-year-old was bowled by Lea Tahuhu, who also accounted for fellow opener Heather Knight (26) and Sarah Taylor (20) which left the tourists on 55-3.
Natalie Sciver (16) and Lydia Greenway (25) put on a decisive stand of 38 for the fourth wicket and although both were dismissed, Katherine Brunt hit a six to get England over the line with eight balls to spare.
Earlier, Edwards had won the toss and her decision to field first was vindicated as the hosts limped to 97-9, with Knight (2-14), Danielle Hazell (2-15), Laura Marsh (2-24) and Jenny Gunn (2-28) each taking two wickets.
Sophie Devine struck a counter-attacking 37 from 31 balls for New Zealand, which included two fours and a six, but her team-mates could not match her efforts.
Edwards spoke to Sky Sports News HQ after the game and said she was delighted to mark her 200th appearance with the victory.
She said: “To win the series here was a fantastic effort. It was special, there had been a lot of hype around it being my 200th game and there were lots of messages coming in overnight, so I was hugely honoured and very overwhelmed by all the support I’ve had as well.
“The most important thing today was an England win and that’s obviously made the day very special."
Edwards was, however, disappointed with her own performance after making only five.
She added: “It would have been great to be there at the end and win the game but we did a great job, however, and hopefully there will be more runs for me at the end of the week.”
Edwards has made 289 appearances in total for England since making her debut as a 16-year-old, and said she still had a number of goals she wanted to achieve.
She said: “I think there’s a lot to achieve and I think that’s the great thing now; there’s two World Cups in the next two years, there’s an Ashes series, and so much on the horizon and I’m motivated as ever to hopefully lead the team and be successful still.
“So hopefully there are a few more games left in me and I’m enjoying it as ever."
Now 35, Edwards is not considering retirement any time soon and said she took some inspiration from the double-century performance of West Indies star Chris Gayle, who is also 35, against Zimbabwe.
She said: ”You see so many players now playing until their late 30s and early 40s, so as long as I can keep performing and keep myself injury free, you take great inspiration from the guys who are still performing at that level."
