Sarah Taylor, England Wicketkeeper, Announces Retirement From International Cricket

Sarah Taylor, who made her debut in 2006 and went on to represent the England women's team for 13 years, has announced her retirement from international cricket at the age of 30. Taylor, who has been plagued by anxiety issues for the past couple of seasons, released a statement and outlined her decisions to quit the game. "Playing for England and getting to wear the shirt for so long has been a dream come true and I have been blessed with so many great moments throughout my career. From making my debut in 2006, to Ashes wins, and of course the World Cup final at Lord’s, to name just a few. I’ve also been blessed with travelling the world and making lifelong friends along the way. To be right in the thick of women’s cricket as it’s gone from strength to strength – not only in England, but across the world – has been an amazing experience, and I can look back on what women’s cricket has achieved with great pride at playing some small part in it," Taylor said in a statement.

Taylor has had some memorable moments in her career. In the 2009 Women's World Cup, Taylor scored 216 runs in seven games at an average of 30 as England defeated New Zealand in the final at the North Sydney Oval. In the same year, during the World T20, England defeated New Zealand again in Lord's to win the Twenty20 title. 

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Taylor's brilliance continued in major events and she was one of the stars during the 2017 World Cup. Taylor smashed 74* against Sri Lanka and 147 against South Africa. In the semi-final against South Africa, Taylor hit 54 and contributed 45 in the final against India in the final as they won the World Cup for the fourth time.

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The right-hander has scored a combined total of 6533 runs which puts her second in England's all-time list behind Charlotte Edwards. However, as a keeper, she holds the world record for 232 dismissals across formats which is the most by a keeper in women's cricket. However, in the last couple of seasons, Taylor has been plagued by anxiety issues and that saw her miss the World T20 editions in India and West Indies in 2016 and 2018 respectively. 

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