Former England wicketkeeper Sarah Taylor has joined the coaching staff at Sussex and will work part-time with the men’s squad as well as Sussex Cricket Pathway in the upcoming season.
Taylor, widely regarded as among the best wicketkeepers of all time, retired at the age of 30, in 2019, owing to long-term struggles with her anxiety issues. In her new role, Taylor will focus on working with the club’s wicketkeepers.
“From Ben Brown and Phil Salt in the professional squad and down through the pathway, we have a really talented group of keepers at Sussex who I am looking forward to working with immensely,” Taylor said on Monday (March 15). “I want to share my experience and expertise to help them get the most out of their game. I’m a big believer in keeping things simple and perfecting the basics so that players can enjoy and express themselves with the gloves.”
Taylor earned 226 England caps in her decorated 13-year international career and hung up her boots with the record of most wicketkeeping dismissals, 227, in the history of women’s international cricket. She also has scored over 6,500 international runs for England across formats. Her last professional outing was for Surrey Stars at the 2019 edition of the Women’s Cricket Super League.
James Kirtley, joint Sussex head coach with Ian Salisbury, welcomed Taylor’s addition to the backroom staff. “Sarah has so much to offer our players, but also our environment. She is hugely skilled in the world of wicketkeeping, but she will also bring so much good as a person around our group. She adds great perspective to a situation and as a coach she provides an excellent sounding board for ideas and is a fantastic communicator. I am certain she will become a huge asset to our setup.”
Additionally, Sussex have also added Ashley Wright to the coaching ranks who will assist the county’s lead batting coach, Jason Swift. The former Leicestershire player is a Level 4 coach, specialising in human movement and biomechanics. He has previously worked with Surrey and Rajshahi Kings in the Bangladesh Premier League side. Wright was also the national head coach of Guernsey for four years.
