England hired Sarah Taylor as the Men’s Test fielding coach for the upcoming series against New Zealand. She joins the squad on a short-term basis for the three-match series starting at Lord’s on 4 June. Taylor replaces Carl Hopkinson, who remains on IPL duty with Mumbai Indians.
The appointment addresses a critical weakness in the England setup. England dropped 11 catches during their 4-1 Ashes defeat in Australia. Critics blamed the lack of a specialist fielding coach for the team’s poor preparation and performance. Taylor, who won 226 caps for the women’s team, brings world-class expertise to the slip cordon to fix these recurring lapses.
“I just think she’s one of the best in the business at what she does,” said Rob Key, England’s director of cricket. “She’s been outstanding, and she’s worked a lot with Andrew Flintoff and Ed Barney. They can’t speak highly enough of her. So from what we can see, she’s one of the best in the business.”
Hopkinson’s absence reflects the current landscape of international cricket where franchise commitments frequently overlap with the Test calendar. Key confirmed that Hopkinson would return to the setup later, but his role with Mumbai Indians necessitated Taylor’s inclusion for this summer programme.
“We’ve been thoroughly, unbelievably impressed with her 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.”
Taylor becomes the first woman to hold a coaching role within a senior men’s international team. She previously held coaching positions at Sussex and with the Manchester Originals. During her 13-year playing career, she helped England win the 2017 World Cup and earned a reputation as the game’s finest wicketkeeper.
