Birthday Special: Sarah Taylor – One of the best wicketkeepers in women’s cricket
Sarah Taylor’s hands were faster than a gazelle. As a wicketkeeper, she didn’t even give batters much of a chance to survive. She was athletic and agile, and hardly dropped catches or missed stumpings. Such was her aura that batters feared coming down the track when Taylor stood up to the stumps. She had the eyes of a hawk owing to which she tasted a lot of success for England.
After making her international debut in 2006, Taylor served her nation for as many as 13 years. During her teenage days, she burst onto the scene with a run-a-ball 61 against India in her fourth ODI. The then youngster followed it up with her maiden ton against Australia in Chennai. From thereon, Taylor didn’t look back by any means and kept piling on one record after the other.
Oozing class throughout her career
In 10 Tests, 126 ODIs and 90 T20Is, Taylor scored 300, 4056, and 2177 runs respectively. Along with 36 fifties at the highest level, the London-born churned out seven tons in the one day format. Her top score of 147 off 104 balls came against Dane van Niekerk’s South Africa Women back in 2017 at the County Ground in Bristol. The knock helped her team win the game by 68 runs.
Her knock was laced with 24 fours and she played at a strike rate of 141.34. She also smashed centuries against Australia Women, New Zealand Women and West Indies Women. Amidst all her cricketing glories, Taylor also went through severe moments of anxiety.
Retirement due to anxiety
Back in May 2016, Taylor decided to take some personal time away from the game. In September 2019, she pulled the plug on her career, deciding to retire after suffering from anxiety. Despite facing mental health issues, she pledged to help out fellow sufferers in the future.
With 6500 plus international runs and 227 keeping dismissals under her belt, Taylor remains a modern day great in women’s cricket if not overall. She is set to make her comeback in the Hundred this year. It’s almost 21 months since she last played any form of competitive cricket.
