One of the all-time greats of women’s cricket, Sarah Taylor, has signed up to take part in The Hundred. The former England wicketkeeper will represent Welsh Fire in the first season of the new action-packed 100-ball competition.
The news comes as people signed up to thehundred.com get their first chance to snap up tickets for The Hundred via a priority window from tomorrow (7 April).
One of England’s greatest ever keepers, Taylor made 226 appearances for England including 10 Tests, 126 ODIs and 90 IT20s before retiring from international cricket in 2019. She won three Ashes series and two World Cups in 2009 and 2017.
At the time of her retirement nobody in the women’s game had affected more dismissals (catches and stumpings) in all formats than her 232. She scored an incredible 6,533 international runs with seven centuries and 36 50s and is currently the 10th all-time run scorer in both ODI and IT20s. Recently she became the first female skills coach of a men’s county team, working as wicketkeeping coach at Sussex CCC.
Sarah Taylor 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.”
The Hundred – which fuses fast-paced world-class cricket with family-friendly entertainment – will start with a women’s match as Oval Invincibles take on Manchester Originals live on Sky and BBC on July 21. The competition features world-class domestic and international players in men’s and women’s competitions. It will feature eight new city-based teams – Birmingham Phoenix, Welsh Fire (Cardiff), Northern Superchargers (Leeds), Manchester Originals, Trent Rockets (Nottingham), Southern Brave (Southampton), London Spirit and Oval Invincibles (London).
Taylor will be joined at Welsh Fire by the talented Australian legspinner Georgia Wareham. Wareham replaces Jess Jonassen, who has withdrawn from the competition this summer due to personal circumstances. Despite only being 21 years old, Wareham has already played 48 games for Australia. She has taken 52 international wickets including a match winning 3-17 against New Zealand in the semi-final of the Women’s T20 World Cup last year.
Matthew Mott said: “It is fantastic news that Sarah and Georgia will be part of our squad this summer. 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.
“Georgia’s 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 to the Fire Squad.”
Georgia Wareham said: “I’m really excited to be signed by Matthew for Welsh Fire. I obviously know him, Meg (Lanning) and Beth (Mooney) incredibly well but our whole squad looks strong. Playing with the likes of Sarah Taylor and Katie George will be a great experience and I can’t wait to get going in Cardiff this summer.”
Beth Barrett-Wild, Head of The Hundred women’s competition said: “Sarah Taylor 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.”
For the latest news and priority access to tickets visit thehundred.com.
