Edwards calls it a day

LONDON: Long-serving England women’s captain Charlotte Edwards announced her retirement on Wednesday after a sparkling and pioneering 20-year career. The 36-year-old led her country to glory in the Ashes, World Cup and ICC World Twenty20, winning a world-record 309 caps and scoring over 10,000 runs across the formats. “Everyone who knows me — and how much I love playing for England — will appreciate what a difficult decision it has been for me to retire from international cricket,” she said in a statement. Edwards led England on 220 occasions, with the highlights of her captaincy including three Ashes triumphs against Australia — in 2008, 2013 and 2014 — and a World Cup/World Twenty20 double in 2009. In 2008, she was named the International Cricket Council’s Women’s Player of the Year and and in 2014 was selected as a Wisden Cricketer of the Year.