Former English cricketer Sarah Taylor has scripted history by becoming the first female coach for the senior English men's team. The former wicketkeeper has been appointed as the Men's Test fielding coach for the forthcoming series against New Zealand. Taylor will work on a short stint with the Three Lions as a cover for Carl Hopkinson, who is currently on IPL duty with the Mumbai Indians.

Notably, the Black Caps will travel to England for a three-match Test series, starting June 4. The news of Taylor’s appointment was confirmed by Rob Key, England men's director of cricket. The former cricketer, who turns 37 next week, is regarded as one of the best wicketkeepers in the world. Having won 226 caps across all formats, she played a key role in their win in the 2017 World Cup.

After drawing curtains on her 13-year-long illustrated career, Taylor took her expertise into her coaching career with previous stints in men’s cricket with Sussex and Manchester Originals. This is going to be the first time a female coach would work with a senior men’s international team.

Sarah Taylor’s incredible cricketing career

Before entering coaching, Taylor built an incredible playing career in the women’s cricket history. She made her debut for England in 2007 and since then, transformed the wicketkeeping standard with her lightning-fast glovework as well as attacking batting. Over the years, Taylor represented England in 10 Tests, 126 ODIs, and 90 T20Is. She has scored over 6500 runs with seven centuries and 38 fifties. The 36-year-old played a key role in England’s win in the 2009 ODI World Cup, the 2009 T20 World Cup and the 2017 ODI World Cup.

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Talking about her awards and accolades, she was named the ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year in 2014. She became the only sixth female England cricketer to be inducted in the ICC Hall of Fame in 2025. Not only this, but she is also the first female wicketkeeper from any nation to be included. Notably, she has had over 104 stumpings in overall 226 international appearances.