Sports FRIDAY, AUGUST 28, 2015 England Women keep Ashes hopes alive with T20 win LONDON: England gave themselves three one-day internationals. England pleted the job. “It was a perfect team Sarah Taylor played. It was a great hope of retaining the Women’s Ashes knew they needed to win all three performance and one which was effort on her part. Our fielding too was as Sarah Taylor’s fifty saw them to a Twenty20 matches to level the overall achieved under a lot of pressure very good but we know the Aussies seven-wicket Twenty20 win in the score at 8-8 and so retain the Ashes because we had to win,” said Edwards will come at us hard in our next match first Twenty20 international at by virtue of holding them coming after England ended world Twenty20 at Hove today.” Chelmsford on Wednesday. into the series. champions Australia’s 16-match Disappointed Australia captain Meg This was a match England had to They restricted Australia to 122 for unbeaten run in the format. Lanning said: “We were never able to win if they were to have any chance at eight before captain Charlotte “We needed our top players to get the momentum needed. We lost all of squaring the series. They came Edwards and fellow senior batsman come to the party and they did so by wickets at regular intervals and at the into the clash 8-2 down in the multi- Taylor, who made exactly 50, then proving their character and turning in end of the day, I have to admit that we format series, with Australia having shared a key 77-run partnership before a display like this,” she added. were short in all departments com- won the one-off Test and two of the Nat Sciver and Katherine Brunt com- “I’m extremely proud of the way pared with England.” —AFP New Zealand unveil summer tour schedule WELLINGTON: New Zealand Cricket yesterday announced details of upcoming tours involving Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Australia, as the Black Caps seek to capitalise on their stirring run to the World Cup final. The international action over the New Zealand sum- mer will feature four Tests, 11 one-dayers and five Twenty20 matches. The Black Caps enjoyed a surge in popularity in rugby-mad New Zealand when they reached the World Cup final this year in a tournament they co- hosted with Australia. While they fell flat against the Australians in the final, captain Brendon McCullum said the upcoming schedule offered home fans a chance to again see their team play- ing top-class opposition. “Looking at this schedule, there’s some really exciting opposition in front of us,” he told reporters. “So hopefully we can build on what we did last year and also at the World Cup, drive this team forward and keep improving our performances.” Sri Lanka arrive first, playing two Tests, five ODIs and two T20s between December 10 and January 10. Pakistan then embark on a whistlestop tour involving three T20s and three ODI from January 15-31, with Australia wrapping up the schedule with three one-day- ers and two Tests between February 3 and February 24. The first Test against Australia in Wellington could COLOMBO: Indian captain Virat Kohli (R) is watched by teammate Karun Nair as he catches a ball during a practice ses- potentially be McCullum’s 100th and the 33-year-old, who sion at the Sinhalease Sports Club (SSC) Ground in Colombo yesterday.— AFP suffers chronic back pain, was coy about whether he would consider retirement after reaching the milestone. “I’m not sure, we’ll see what unfolds,” he said. New-look pitch leaves “It’d be great to achieve that, to play 100 Tests. It’s something you could look back on and be very proud of, but it’s not what motivates me.” New Zealand home inter- India, S Lanka guessing national schedule 2015/16: New Zealand v Sri Lanka COLOMBO: India and Sri Lanka were left to the P. Sara Oval in Colombo on Monday. pitch before practice yesterday. December 10-14: 1st Test, University Oval, Dunedin ponder the behaviour of an unusually green- December 18-22: 2nd Test, Seddon Park, Hamilton ish wicket as they delayed naming their line- New era in Sri Lanka cricket ‘We play to win’ December 26: 1st ODI, Hagley Oval, Christchurch ups for the decisive final Test starting in The Test marks the start of a new era in Sri “There is still quite a bit of grass on it, but December 28: 2nd ODI, Hagley Oval, Christchurch Colombo today. The traditionally high-scoring Lankan cricket following the retirement of bat- there could be another cutting of grass. Only December 31: 3rd ODI, Saxton Oval, Nelson pitch at the Sinhalese sports club (SSC) has ting great Kumar Sangakkara from internation- then can we decide who to play.” India, who January 2: 4th ODI, Saxton Oval, Nelson undergone a dramatic change in appearance al cricket after the second Test. have not won a Test series on the island since January 5: 5th ODI, Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui from a brown, flat track to a moisture-laden Mathews confirmed that the 134-Test vet- 1993, will be without the injured trio of regular January 7: 1st T20, Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui one that sports a tinge of grass. eran Sangakkara will be replaced by another openers Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan, plus January 10: 2nd T20, Eden Park, Auckland Sri Lankan captain Angelo Mathews left-hander Upul Tharanga, who has played 20 wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha. refused to hazard a guess on the relaid pitch Tests, but admitted Sri Lanka were undecided Shastri admitted the injuries had set the New Zealand v Pakistan even though the last time the hosts played a on the rest of the team. “We still have not tourists back, but insisted India will continue to Test at the SSC a year ago, they swamped found the best combination,” the Sri Lankan play positive cricket like they had done January 15: 1st T20, Eden Park, Auckland Pakistan by 105 runs to break a sequence of captain told reporters on Thursday. “With throughout the series. “Fitness issues always January 17: 2nd T20, Seddon Park, Hamilton four successive draws since 2009. “After being Sangakkara now retired, we’ve got an oppor- hurt but nothing has changed from day one,” January 22: 3rd T20, Westpac Stadium, Wellington relaid the wicket has a bit more carry,” he said. tunity to test our players in different positions.” he said. “We play to win. We have got our- January 25: 1st ODI, Basin Reserve, Wellington “As of now, there’s a bit of grass on the wicket. A finger injury sustained by off-spinner selves in a position now where if we win this January 28: 2nd ODI, McLean Park, Napier You can’t really predict a wicket 100 per cent. Tharindu Kaushal in the second Test has com- Test, we will win the series which is massive. January 31: 3rd ODI, Eden Park, Auckland We just have to play it by the ear. pounded Sri Lanka’s worries with Mathews “There’s no point being shy of going for a “It looks a sporting wicket. We just have to indicating he will wait till Friday morning to win. At the same time, it’s not a case of being New Zealand v Australia play positive cricket. The batters have to look finalise the team. India, seeking their first series over-confident. We have got to have the right February 3: 1st ODI, Eden Park, Auckland to score runs, bowlers have to take wickets. We win in Sri Lanka in 22 years, will also not reveal balance and play proper cricket like we did in February 6: 2nd ODI, Westpac Stadium, Wellington have to get the basics right.” The series is tied their playing 11 till they had assessed the wick- the last Test over five days.” India are likely to February 8: 3rd ODI, Seddon Park, Hamilton 1-1 after Sri Lanka won the opening Test in et before the toss, team director Ravi Shastri bring in Cheteshwar Pujara for the first time in February 12-16: 1st Test, Basin Reserve, Wellington Galle by 63 runs and India drew level with a said. “It’s far from being a finished product the series to open the innings with Lokesh Rahul February 20-24: 2nd Test, Hagley Oval, Christchurch. — AFP thumping 278-run win in the second match at yet,” Shastri told reporters after inspecting the in the absence of Dhawan and Vijay. — AFP.