Former England Women wicketkeeper Sarah Taylor has become the first female member of coaching staff appointed to an England Men's squad.
Taylor was named as an assistant coach for England's first Test series of the summer against New Zealand. She worked with England Lions during their tours of Australia and Abu Dhabi over the winter. Her position with the senior side comes as cover for fielding coach Carl Hopkinson, who is currently working with Mumbai Indians in the IPL.
As a player, Taylor was considered one of the best wicketkeepers, male or female, in the world. Former Australia Test wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist referred to her as the best wicketkeeper in the world across genders in 2018 when she was still playing for England.
Taylor won 226 international caps for England across her career, including being part of the team which won the 50-over World Cup in both 2010 and 2017, as well as the 2009 T20 World Cup-winning squad. She retired from international cricket in 2019 due to well-publicised struggles with anxiety, but returned briefly to domestic cricket in 2021. She played for Sussex and for Welsh Fire that year, before retiring again at the end of the season.
"One of the best in the business"
Since the end of her playing career, Taylor has made the transition into coaching in both male and female teams. She became the first female specialist coach of an men's county side when she was named Sussex's wicketkeeping coach in 2021, and has worked in several franchise leagues, including for Manchester Originals men and women in The Hundred and for Gujarat Giants in the WPL.
Speaking in a press conference after England's squad announcement, Rob Key said of Taylor: "I just think she's one of the best in the business at what she does. She's been outstanding, and she's worked a lot with Andrew Flintoff and Ed Barney [England men's performance director]. They can't speak highly enough of her. So from what we can see, she's one of the best in the business."
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