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The end of one era signals the start of the next.

For Wales, a friendly against Poland on Tuesday in Newport will mark the start of life.

And so begins the difficult task of rebuilding after the Wales team’s foundation has been lost in Fishlock’s international retirement.

Fishlock has played in more than two-thirds of the games in the women’s football team’s history, making it a national squad for almost two decades.

She continues to be Wales’ standout player even as her 39th birthday approaches, at least until she bid her final farewells on Saturday at Cardiff City Stadium.

Without Fishlock, Rhian Wilkinson will be the head coach tasked with leading Wales and ensuring that their progression is continued without their iconic number 10.

Wilkinson claims that Fishlock’s international retirement would be a “waste of energy” in trying to fill the void.

“I’ve watched it happen in Canada when Christine Sinclair retired, and then they just decided, oh this is the next]one,” I said.

They are “one-offs.” That is impossible for you.

Wales must instead develop a new strategy, according to Wilkinson.

In the wake of Euro 2025, Fishlock, who spent the majority of her professional career with Seattle Reign, joins Kayleigh Barton in hanging up the red shirt of Wales. This will give younger, less experienced players the chance to show they can succeed on the international stage.

Wilkinson acknowledges that Wales is going through a transition due to the personnel change.

She said, “Yes absolutely, and that’s a scary word.”

It’s a fascinating word. I believe there are now many opportunities for players who may have had a development or fringe career.

There is a nod to the future in the current camp with the seven players from Wales’ Euro 2025 squad who were injured.

In the 92nd minute of Australia’s friendly defeat, Fishlock was substituted.

She gave Angharad James the captain’s armband, but Tianna Teisar, a 20-year-old forward, took the baton in her place.

With Gwen Zimmerman starting in defense and Scarlett Hill stepping in for Ffion Morgan late on, Teisar was one of three players who received debuts on the day Fishlock bid farewell.

Mia Ross, Teagan Scarlett, and Poppy Soper were the other young players on the bench, as are Amy Richardson and Annie Wilding, both of whom are hoping to play some soccer against Poland.

They have probably watched Jess their entire life, Wilkinson said, “for them.”

She has played for the team and demonstrated her enthusiasm for the badge.

It’s a regular game, in my opinion, but I don’t think you watch any national teams that don’t feel like they represent [their country].

Fishlock didn’t score in the final international match against Australia, but it seemed as though Wales would earn her honor with a respectable draw in the 2023 World Cup semi-finals.

Before Caitlin Foord’s late winner, Wales squared off against the Matildas after a soft Courtney Nevin opener and Mared Griffiths’ first international goal set the scene.

The 18-year-old was winning her only second cap as she began one of two attacking midfield positions alongside Fishlock, narrowly missing out on a spot in Wales’ European Championship squad.

After Fishlock was tackled, Griffiths latched on to a loose ball before chipping it past Australia goalkeeper Teagen Micah and into the far corner of the net.

“Mared just ran the entire time she was out there,” Wilkinson said. “But with purpose,” she said.

What a successful goal, and [it was] pretty symbolic, right? The final game for Jessica, a young star coming up and scoring a world record like that.

Mount Maunganui’s first international day, one-day,

England 223 (35.2 overs): Brook 135 (101), Overton 46 (54), Foulkes 4-41

New Zealand 224-6 (36.4 overs): Mitchell 78* (91), Bracewell 51 (51), Carse 3-45

New Zealand won the series by four wickets and won it with a score of 1-0.

Despite Harry Brook’s outrageous century threatening to save his side after an awful top-order batting collapse, New Zealand defeated England by four wickets in the first one-day international.

At the conclusion of the second over, the visitors were 5-3 when Jamie Smith was bowled for two and 33-5 in the ninth.

Their hopes sank as a result of Root and co’s attempts to recover from the Ashes, but captain Brook countered with superb New Zealand bowling in favorable conditions, hitting an audacious 135 from 101 balls to nudge his team to 223 in Mount Maunganui.

No other batter in the top seven of England’s top seven recorded double figures, but Brook led the pack with a stand of 57 runs, seven of which came from Luke Wood, who was the last man.

With a score of 66-4, Brook had given his side a chance even though they were all out in 35 overs. When Brydon Carse took three wickets in a strong new-ball spell, the Black Caps were in real danger.

In Hamilton on Wednesday (01:00 GMT), England can tie the series, but this one will be remembered most:

England is no secret using this tour, including the T20s that stopped before these ODIs to build up to the Ashes.

The question for Brook, who scored 78 in the second T20 last week, is whether he can maintain his form throughout the transition in terms and formats. The current evidence indicates a clear yes.

When he arrived, batting was risky.

Brook’s first six deliveries, which he did not score, caused him to hit the body three times. Matt Henry was shown the way as he advanced to his seventh grade drive, which showed him how to navigate the covers.

Before settling into a stand of 87 with Jamie Overton, the 26-year-old reached 50 in 36 deliveries. Carse and Adil Rashid quickly followed Overton as she fell to the leading edge, cutting loose while protecting Wood.

He targeted the leg side and dispatched anything short by flicking it over the fine leg or cracking it over midwicket after three straight sixes off Jacob Duffy to reach his hundred.

This knock should not be regarded as one of England’s best ODIs due to the understated nature of this series and the disappointing defeat it suffered.

For the first time in more than six weeks, Root, Smith, and fellow opener Ben Duckett were in the middle.

Their only other chance to return to form before the first Test on November will be the two remaining matches in this series, plus one warm-up in Australia.

Although it’s obvious that four runs combined for three players are crucial to England’s hopes, New Zealand’s new-ball bowlers deserve a lot of praise.

Smith was bowled through the gate by Henry’s jagged delivery, which he barely relented with throughout his opening eight overs.

Zak Foulkes’ return to batsmen, 4-41, was incredibly impressive, finding 0.96 degrees of seam movement plus 1.99 degrees of swing in his first 10 overs, a significant increase from the previous average of 0.89 and 1.41, respectively, at this ground.

Root was bowled by a hooping inswinger, though one that wasn’t big enough for his booming drive, after Duckett missed a Foulkes ball from round the wicket that angled in before moving in.

Perhaps Jacob Bethell saved the 23-year-old’s best delivery.

The left-hander attempted to play straight down the field, but the ball swung too far to miss his outside edge.

Brook later expressed his opinion that England’s record could be justified. He could have been correct if his team had kept their catches.

Both errors were legal. When Root defeated Jamie Overton’s Bracewell on a low at-fly, the hosts were 75-4.

When Luke Wood dropped the ball after a reverse sweep from Mitchell reached him at a backward point, the Black Caps still needed another 93.

That made it possible for the Kiwi pair to work together to avoid the early danger Carse had caused by putting together a measured partnership of 92.

The 30-year-old seamer nickered off Kane Williamson’s first ball with a hard-cut near the top of the stumps, but opener Will Young and former captain Tom Latham, who had slipped to 24 before being pinched lbw, both quickly and full deliveries.

From that position, I’ve done it a few times. It’s a do-or-die situation, and thankfully I’ve managed to get us a respectable score to defend it a few times.

Mitchell Santner, captain of New Zealand, said, “Our opening bowlers were outstanding. Matt Henry is capable of doing that, we are aware of. Then, Zak Foulkes was outstanding with his swing. Particularly for the left-handeders, he appeared to be a nightmare.

Linda Noskova defeated her in the Pan Pacific Open final to win her second WTA title.

Agnieszka Radwanska, 28, lost to Agnieszka Radwanska in straight sets in the final of this competition ten years ago.

However, she won this time around by defeating Noskova in the Czech Republic 6-2, 6-3.

Just 10 months after the birth of her first child and less than four months since her return from more than a year of maternity leave, Bencic recorded her other WTA triumph this year in Abu Dhabi.

Bencic, who won gold in the women’s singles at the Tokyo Olympics, said, “I feel like Tokyo and Japan is a happy place in my career, a place where I’ve had good success, and I just love being here.”

On the court, I had a “yes” moment. I went for the same serve, had match point on the same side of the court, and was telling myself the same things. It was truly unique, and it gave me goosebumps. It’s wonderful to have won once more.

Her world ranking had dropped to 1,213 when Bencic, a former world number four in 2020, resumed her sport in October 2024.

She moved up to 13th in the rankings, and she did so earlier this year until Wimbledon’s semi-finals before being defeated by Iga Swiatek, the eventual champion.

She continued, “I think my time back on tour is really showing in the results.”

“I’m definitely surprised and couldn’t be happier. Without a doubt, nothing about this was planned.

It requires a lot of self-awareness and mental belief, according to the author.

I’m really happy to have the confirmation that I can even surpass my previous best ranking.