Former England wicket keeper Sarah Taylor will become the first female coach to work with the men’s senior team after being named fielding coach for next month’s three-test series against New Zealand.
The 36-year-old won the Twenty20 and 50-over World Cups with England in 2009 and made 226 appearances across all formats before retiring from international cricket in 2019.
Taylor has had coaching stints with county side Sussex and the England Lions since her retirement and has been appointed on a short-term basis in place of Carl Hopkinson, who is working with Indian Premier League (IPL) side Mumbai Indians. “We’ve been thoroughly, unbelievably impressed with her and the way that she goes about her business,” director of cricket Rob Key told reporters on Wednesday. “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 (performance director) Ed Barney. They can’t speak highly enough of her.”
England have dropped opener Zak Crawley and selected Emilio Gay as Ben Duckett’s likely opening partner in a reshaped squad for the first test against New Zealand at Lord’s from June 4.