Sarah Taylor joins Sussex coaching ranks

Sarah Taylor, the former England Women's wicketkeeper, will join the Sussex coaching staff, working with the county's men's squad, for the upcoming season.Taylor was widely regarded as one of the best keepers in the sport before she retired in 2019 at the age of 30 following long-term struggles with anxiety. Now she is stepping into relatively unfamiliar territory as a woman coaching professional sportsmen, working with the likes of Ben Brown and Phil Salt."We have a really talented group of keepers at Sussex who I am looking forward to working with immensely," Taylor said. "I want to share my experience and expertise to help them get the most out of their game. I'm a big believer in keeping things simple and perfecting the basics so that players can enjoy and express themselves with the gloves."EDITOR'S PICKS'It's dark, but there's light at the end of the tunnel' - Sarah TaylorSarah Taylor hasn't ruled out making a comebackSarah Taylor was a genuine great, irrespective of genderTaylor's role with the club will focus largely on wicketkeepting. She earned 226 England caps, claiming 232 dismissals. But her expertise with the bat - she also scored more than 6,500 international runs - and her experience in dealing with and speaking about mental health issues make her a valuable all-round addition to the Sussex coaching ranks.Following her retirement, Taylor became a sports and life coach at Bede's School in Eastbourne. She recently told ESPNcricinfo that she had not ruled out a playing comeback, having not picked up a bat since her last match, for KSL side Surrey Stars in August 2019. In January, she helped launch the Sussex Cricket Mental Health & Wellbeing Hub, an online resource set up by the club with whom she had a playing career spanning 15 years.James Kirtley, joint Sussex head coach with Ian Salisbury, said Taylor would not only bring valuable skills to the players but to the club environment as well.