New Delhi: In a groundbreaking move, the England men’s cricket team has appointed former women’s team wicket-keeper Sarah Taylor as their fielding coach for their upcoming Test series against New Zealand. An icon of the women’s game, Taylor is the first women’s coach to join England’s men’s coach setup.
The announcement was made by ECB Director of Cricket Rob Key on Wednesday, May 13. Taylor will step in for Carl Hopkinson, who is currently involved with the Mumbai Indians (MI) in the ongoing IPL 2026 and will thus remain unavailable for England for their upcoming Test series against New Zealand.
Taylor, who switched to coaching after a successful playing career, has made rapid strides in the coaching world in a short time. She became the first woman to coach in men’s franchise cricket when she was appointed as the assistant coach of the Abu Dhabi Team in the Abu Dhabi T10 League in 2021.
She was appointed as the wicket-keeping coach by Sussex’s men’s team in County cricket, becoming the first female coach in English men’s county. Taylor has since worked with multiple franchises across men’s and women’s cricket, including The Hundred and in the Women’s Premier League (WPL).
She was with Manchester Originals in The Hundred and worked as a fielding coach for the Gujarat Giants in the WPL 2026 earlier this year. Taylor has also worked with the England Lions team, highlighting her influential rise in the coaching world.
“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 (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,” said ECB Director of Cricket Rob Key on her appointment as the fielding coach of the England men’s team.
A stellar career for England
Taylor enjoyed a stellar playing career for England before turning to coaching after her retirement. The former wicket-keeper batter made her England debut in 2006 as a teenager and soon established her credentials as one of the best wicket-keepers in the world, often leaving the fans in awe with her quick reflexes and lightning-fast glovework from behind the stumps.
She was an equally talented batter who represented England across all formats. Taylor played 10 Tests, 126 ODIs and 90 T20Is for England, amassing over 6500 runs in the three formats combined, with seven centuries and 38 fifties to her name.
She played a key role in England’s success during her playing days and was part of the England teams that won the 2009 ODI World Cup, 2009 T20 World Cup and the 2017 ODI World Cup.