Former England women’s cricket team wicketkeeper Sarah Taylor has been named as the fielding coach for the men’s side for their upcoming three-match Test series against New Zealand. Taylor, 36, has worked previously with the England Lions side apart from her stints in men’s cricket with Sussex and Manchester Originals.
England men’s director Rob Key confirmed Taylor’s appointment after the England squad for the first Test was announced. She takes over the role on a short-term basis as Carl Hopkinson is currently with the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League 2026.ย
Key confirms Taylor’s appointment
Meanwhile, Key hailed Taylor as one of the best in whatever she does. “I just think she’s one of the best in the business at what she does,” Key said. “She’s been outstanding, and she’s worked a lot with Andrew Flintoff and Ed Barney [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.”
Taylor has been hailed as one of the best wicketkeepers in the world across men’s and women’s cricket. She had earned 226 caps for England across all the three formats from 2006 to 2019. The wicketkeeper was a crucial member of England’s ODI World Cup 2017 winning side.ย
England made fielding blunders during Ashes
England were caught napping on the field during the Ashes. They dropped as many as 11 catches in the series, which was one of the key reasons for their embarrassing losses. The Three Lions were without a fielding coach in the series.ย
Hopkinson became the fielding coach again
Following England’s fielding horrors, Hopkinson was appointed as the fielding coach again. However, his IPL commitments opened the door for Taylor to assume the role. “We’ve been thoroughly, unbelievably impressed with [Taylor] and the way that she goes about her business,” Key said. “Carl Hopkinson, as is the nature of the cricket world that we have at the moment, he’s working with the Mumbai Indians. He has a lot of stuff that he does for them, so we’ll still use him at some point, just not for this series.”