Former England Women wicketkeeper-batter Sarah Taylor will take part in the inaugural edition of The Hundred after signing for Welsh Fire.
Taylor claimed 232 wicketkeeping dismissals and scored 6,533 runs for England Women across the formats between 2006 and 2019, winning two 50-over World Cups, a T20 World Cup and three Ashes series.
The 31-year-old retired from international cricket in September 2019 due to an anxiety condition but will return to domestic action this summer with Fire and could make her debut against Northern Superchargers at Emerald Headingley on Saturday, July 24.
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Taylor – who recently joined Sussex as a part-time wicketkeeping coach, making her the first female skills coach to work in men’s county cricket – said: “There has been a real buzz about The Hundred, and especially the women’s competition.
“We’ve got the best players from around the world involved and the temptation to be part of it was too great to resist. I’m so excited at the prospect of playing again.
“It’ll be really special to get back out there and be part of a Welsh Fire side that hopefully can have a great first season.”
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Fire’s head coach Matthew Mott said: “Sarah is one of the best cricketers England has ever produced. It goes without saying she would improve any side and we are delighted she’s signed with us.
“Her experience and ability to influence games will be vital as we look to establish some strong foundations in our first campaign.”
Welsh Fire women’s squad
Meg Lanning (Australia), Beth Mooney (Australia), Georgia Wareham (Australia), Sarah Taylor, Lauren Filer, Katie George, Amy Gordon, Alex Griffiths, Georgia Hennessy, Sophie Luff, Bryony Smith, Natasha Wraith
Beth Barrett-Wild, Head of The Hundred women’s competition, added: “Sarah is a truly extraordinary cricketer, who has made a habit of breaking new ground in the game throughout her career.
“It’s highly appropriate therefore that she will feature in The Hundred this summer – a competition which has the potential to transform women’s cricket.
“I’m personally very excited about watching her play again, and I’m sure her involvement and performances will help to inspire the next generation of girls and boys to fall in love with the sport.”
Taylor will be joined at Fire by Australia leg-spinner Georgia Wareham, with the latter replacing compatriot Jess Jonassen, who has withdrawn from The Hundred due to personal reasons.
Wareham, 21, has taken 53 wickets across 19 one-day internationals and 32 T20 internationals for Australia.
Mott added: “Georgia has been an integral part of the Australian side and she’ll bring a real x-factor to our squad.
“She is a dependable and damaging leg-spinner and has developed her batting as a powerful middle-order player with the ability to clear the fence.
“She is developing into a complete cricketer with her outstanding fielding making her an exciting addition.”
The Hundred ticket information
Tickets for The Hundred will go on sale through a priority window on Wednesday (April 7), with general sale beginning on April 21. Refund policies will be in place should matches be impacted by Covid.
Tickets are £5 for U16s with adult tickets starting at £10 and U5s going free, with tickets comprising two matches (one men’s game and one women’s game). Sign up at thehundred.com for priority ticket access.
Watch The Hundred live on Sky Sports this summer!
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