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Edwards achieves world record one-day cap

In the second one-day international against Sri Lanka at the P Sara Oval in Colombo, Charlotte Edwards achieved the landmark of becoming the most capped one-day player in women's cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff
17-Nov-2010
Charlotte Edwards played her 142nd one-day game for England in Colombo  •  Getty Images

Charlotte Edwards played her 142nd one-day game for England in Colombo  •  Getty Images

Charlotte Edwards could not mark the occasion with a victory - the weather saw to that - but in the second one-day international against Sri Lanka at the P Sara Oval in Colombo she achieved the landmark of becoming the most capped one-day player in women's cricket. Edwards, who made her England debut aged 16 in 1996, won her 142nd cap in the match to pass Australian Karen Rolton's record.
"I'm very proud of my achievement. It's been an unbelievable journey," she said. "I dreamed of playing for England and I got the opportunity very young. It seems a long time ago - a lot has happened along the way. It's been a long journey with a lot of highs and lows but more recently a lot of highs. I'm as motivated as anything now and want to keep making this team successful."
In a distinguished career, Edwards has been no stranger to significant achievements. She became the youngest woman to have played for England, when she made her debut against New Zealand at Guildford aged 16 - although that particular record has since been claimed by Holly Colvin, who played in the first Ashes Test in 2005 at just 15.
Edwards' youthful debut was vindicated, and her talent confirmed, when, in 1997, she smashed 12 centuries, including one off 118 balls against the touring South Africans. The day before her 18th birthday, she scored a then-record ODI score of 173 not out in a World Cup match against Ireland.
In 2005, Edwards stepped up from her role as England vice-captain to take full charge of the side when Clare Connor was injured, and was appointed full-time when Connor retired in March 2006. She has led the one-day side 67 times since, an England record for both men and women.
At the start of the one-day World Cup 2009 in Australia, England were favourites for the trophy and Edwards led an inspired team to the title, dropping only one game in the process. England also won the Women's World Twenty20 title and the Ashes in 2009, and to cap a successful year she was awarded an MBE for her services to cricket.
Connor, now the England and Wales Cricket Board's Head of Women's Cricket, praised Edwards' contribution to the games, describing her as "a credit to women's cricket globally, a superb role model for girls who aspire to play for their country".