Sarah Taylor, the England wicketkeeper, has revealed that she is in talks to play men’s second XI county cricket this summer in what would be a groundbreaking move for women’s sport.

Taylor, widely regarded as one of the best female cricketers in history, has an informal agreement with the coaching staff at Sussex that if their second team needs a wicketkeeper at short notice this year, she will be selected to play. In an exclusive interview with the Guardian, the 23-year-old wicketkeeper and number three batter said the prospect is “phenomenal” if “daunting”. Taylor also conceded that her task would be as much a psychological challenge as a physical test. Taylor is being championed to make the switch to the men’s game by Mark Lane, the English national women’s coach.

Guardian Service