Cricket star Taylor: Coronavirus has caused a huge strain on mental health

By Community Sport Reporter
Published 18th Jan 2021, 16:17 BST
Sarah Taylor has been talking about the challenges the Covid-19 pandemic has broughtSarah Taylor has been talking about the challenges the Covid-19 pandemic has brought
Sarah Taylor has been talking about the challenges the Covid-19 pandemic has brought
The pandemic has afforded Sarah Taylor plenty of time to reflect on her decision to put paid to a glittering international cricket career nearly a year and a half ago, with the Sussex and England great insisting she has no regrets, writes Peter White of Sportsbeat.

The former wicketkeeper hung up her gloves aged 30 after a long-standing battle with anxiety that saw her take an extended break from the game in 2016, miss the 2018 World T20 and withdraw from England’s squad during the 2019 Ashes.

Despite her troubles Taylor’s achievements on the pitch earned her a nomination for the ICC Cricketer of the Decade award late last year, with two World Cup wins and three victorious Ashes series a mere snippet of the successes she contributed to.

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While her focus now rests on her role as a sports development and life skills coach at Bede’s School in Sussex, Taylor is enjoying being able to follow her former teammates’ exploits on the other side of the boundary.

Sarah Taylor in England action before her international retirementSarah Taylor in England action before her international retirement
Sarah Taylor in England action before her international retirement

“Ideally I would have liked to have played for a little bit longer, but I have zero regrets about leaving when I did,” said Taylor, who is second on England women's list of run-scorers with 6,533 international runs.

“I didn’t necessarily leave because I didn’t like cricket, there was just a social anxiety aspect of my life that I needed to deal with and it was the right time for me. Social anxiety and living in the limelight don’t really coincide.