Sarah Taylor appointed England Men's Test fielding coach for New Zealand series

Sarah Taylor. the former England women's wicketkeeper, has been appointed as the Men's Test fielding coach for the forthcoming series against New Zealand.

Taylor. who has worked extensively with Andrew Flintoff in the England Lions squad this winter, has been appointed on a short-term basis as cover for Carl Hopkinson, who is currently on IPL duty with Mumbai Indians.

Her role was confirmed by Rob Key, England men's director of cricket, after Wednesday's announcement of the Test squad to face New Zealand at Lord's this summer,. is another trailblazing moment for Taylor, who turns 37 next week.

In her playing days, Taylor was considered to be one of the best wicketkeepers, male or female, in the world. She won 226 caps across all formats for England in a 13-year international career. including a key role in their World Cup victory in 2017.

She has since taken her expertise into her coaching career, with prior stints in men's cricket with Sussex. Manchester Originals, and her appointment to the Test squad is believed to be the first time a female coach has worked with a senior men's international team.

"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."

Her presence around the squad is significant too. seeing as England's fielding lapses during the Ashes were considered pivotal in their 4-1 series loss. They dropped 11 catches in the course of the series, close to one chance in five,. England's decision to travel to Australia without a specialist fielding coach was one of many aspects of their preparation that came under scrutiny in the aftermath.

Hopkinson was reappointed as fielding coach in the aftermath of the Ashes. with Troy Cooley also returning as their first full-time bowling coach since Jon Lewis left the role in 2022. However, as Key confirmed, Hopkinson's conflicting schedule has opened the way for Taylor's historic appointment.

"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 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."