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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31, 2016 SPORTS NZ to keep trialling day-night first-class cricket WELLINGTON: New Zealand Cricket tional cricket, is to host one of the am (2130 GMT). Only one of the other year and while the ball swung apprecia- Eden Park has been designated the first appear to be pushing ahead with plans to Plunket Shield games scheduled to begin venues scheduled to host first class crick- bly and batsmen said they found it diffi- test on that tour, with the second at trial day-night first class matches as they on March 6. et this season, Napier’s McLean Park, has cult to see after twilight, administrators Christchurch’s Hagley Oval, which does not build towards hosting their inaugural pink Auckland’s Eden Park and Hamilton’s lights. All of the Plunket Shield matches felt the interest generated had been suf- have lights. NZC had considered holding a ball home test against England in 2018. Seddon Park, both of which have lights, there are scheduled as day games. ficient to continue to explore the con- round of first class day-night matches earli- NZC released their 2016/17 domestic will also host matches starting on March NZC has said they hoped to play their cept. Next year’s Plunket Shield matches er this year with an eye to playing one of fixture list yesterday and Wellington 6. All three games have not had their first day-night test match at home should give NZC the opportunity to test their tests against South Africa next March Regional Stadium, which has never host- start times confirmed, while every other against England in 2018. the conditions likely to be faced by both with the pink ball, but had to scrap the ed a first class match and has been used Plunket Shield match in the 2016/17 sea- New Zealand played Australia in the sides in 2018, with the England tour pen- idea after McLean Park’s lights were solely for day-night limited-overs interna- son has a traditional start time of 10:30 inaugural day-night test in Adelaide last cilled in for mid-February to late March. deemed not strong enough. — Reuters No regrets for legend Keane as he prepares final bow DUBLIN: Retiring Ireland legend Robbie Keane thing about me, I’ve always turned up, I’ve says he would not have swapped a major club always tried my best. “Even with injuries, you honour for his international career. The LA get injections before games. And that’s just Galaxy striker will play for his country for the the love for Ireland and that’s the love for the last time in tonight’s friendly with Oman at country.” Oman could become the 37th differ- Lansdowne Road. With 67 goals in 145 appear- ent country to be on the wrong side of a ances, Keane is 15th on the all-time internation- Keane strike, and he has history on his side al goalscorers list, just one behind German leg- with 42 of his 67 goals scored on home soil. end Gerd Muller. The 36-year-old Keane could “I don’t care about Muller’s record or any- overtake the man who won three European one, I’m chasing the next one because that’s Cups with Bayern Munich in the 1970s, but he’d what I’ve done since I was seven. I don’t know never change anything about his international any different,” Keane said. career, that covered 18 years and three major “I want to sign off with a goal. There is no finals. “No way. No chance,” said Keane. way I’m going into this game half hearted. “I’ll miss everything about playing for “Just because it’s my last game, I’m not going Ireland, first and foremost, I’ll miss pulling to go into it thinking ‘I’ll enjoy the moment’, that green jersey on. “For me, more than any- as soon as that whistle goes, I’ll want to win thing, that’s been the highlight of my career. the game.” He’s received good luck messages “I’ve played for many clubs but the Ireland jer- since announcing his retirement from David sey always seemed to fit me the best. “I’ve Beckham, Steven Gerrard and Mick McCarthy, enjoyed every minute of it. I’ll miss it all. “All I among others, but had special thanks to can do now is watch from the side and wish Ireland manager Martin O’Neill for asking him the team well. “It’s going to be a little bit dif- to play in Wednesday’s game. “I spoke to him ferent for me, a bit surreal.” Over 18 years have after the Euros and thanked him, Roy (Keane), passed since Keane made his Ireland debut everyone,” said Keane. against the Czech Republic as a raw 17-year- “I said I would announce it (retiring) in a old striker at Wolverhampton Wanderers. few weeks and then I got the call from Martin Since then he has played for nine clubs to see if I would play this game as an appreci- including Inter Milan, Leeds United, ation to you and I said of course, no problem. Tottenham, Liverpool, Celtic and Los Angeles I was delighted and humbled to have the Galaxy. Although Keane is 13th in the opportunity.” Keane is expecting an emotion- Premier League’s all-time goalscoring charts, al night in front of a packed house in Dublin, with 126 goals, he won just one major trophy for the game that comes just five days before in British football, the 2008 League Cup with the country’s World Cup 2018 qualification Tottenham, but has since added three MLS campaign opener in Serbia. Cups in the United States. “It’s certainly going to be difficult to keep But the international scene was always a dry eye, there is no question about it,” he what mattered most to the Dubliner, often to admitted. “It’s been my life since I was 17 years the annoyance of his club managers. of age. Knowing on tomorrow that it’s going to “I could never understand why people be the last time I’ve played for Ireland, waking pulled out of games, I could never get my up that morning is going to be very very head around that and still to this day can’t,” he strange for me. Even packing my bags for one said, revealing he rejected requests by club last time was very weird, it’s the weirdest, managers to skip international duty. “One strangest feeling I’ve ever had.” —AFP PRETORIA: New Zealand’s batsman Henry Nicholls, left, watches as South Africa’s bowler Kagiso Rabada, fields off his shot during the fourth day of theSteyn second cricket test match between South sets Africa and New Zealand, at Centurionup Park in Pretoria,South South Africa, yesterday. — AP African series win CENTURION: Fast bowler Dale Steyn set up a Latham tried to leave the ball from Steyn that was dropped by Stiaan van Zyl at third slip off series-clinching 204-run win for South Africa on bowled him but it lifted sharply and bounced off Philander when he had five and two runs later the fourth day of the second and final Test his raised bat onto the stumps. Guptill, a heavy seemed lucky to get the benefit of the doubt Robbie Keane against New Zealand at SuperSport Park yester- scorer in limited overs international cricket, from television umpire Richard Illingworth when day. Steyn took three wickets with his first 11 again raised doubts about his technique in Test the South Africans appeared convinced that he balls of the innings and finished with five for 33 cricket when he edged a ball that seamed away had gloved Philander to De Kock. England set new ODI record as New Zealand were bowled out for 195 despite from him. In three innings in the truncated South Africa added 27 runs in 13 overs, for a defiant innings of 76 by Henry Nicholls. series, Latham and Guptill scored a combined 23 the loss of Philander’s wicket, before declaring of 444-3 against Pakistan It looked as though it would be easy for the runs and the highest total at the fall of the sec- their second innings on 132 for seven. Temba hosts when Steyn and Vernon Philander ripped ond wicket was 13, putting pressure on Bavuma made 40 not out. Tim Southee bowled NOTTINGHAM: England recorded the record 171 yesterday. highest-ever team total in a one-day inter- Jos Buttler followed up with the quick- through New Zealand’s top four batsmen for Williamson and the remaining batsmen. Watling Philander and finished with three for 46. — AFP national when they made 444 for three est-ever England ODI fifty, off just 22 seven runs inside the first four overs of the against Pakistan at Trent Bridge yesterday. balls, on his way to an unbeaten 90 off 51 innings. But the left-handed Nicholls, playing in In what was the 3,773rd match at this balls featuring seven fours and seven six- his sixth Test match, displayed courage and con- SCOREBOARD level England’s total surpassed the previ- es. Pakistan left-arm fast bowler Wahab centration in making his second Test half-centu- ous record of 443 for nine by Sri Lanka Riaz, who twice took ‘wickets’ with no- ry and highest score to delay South Africa’s cele- against the Netherlands at Amstelveen in balls, finished with figures of none for 110 brations.