Former England batter Claire Taylor believes women’s cricket has changed completely since her playing days and says today’s players are enjoying opportunities that her generation never had. Taylor is widely regarded as one of the greatest batters in the history of women’s cricket.
She played a major role in England’s success, helping the team win both the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup and the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in 2009. She also became the first woman to be named one of Wisden’s Cricketers of the Year. Looking back on her career, Taylor spoke about the growth of women’s cricket, the sacrifices she made to follow her dream and the lessons she learnt during her journey.
Taylor said the women’s game has improved in every area over the last 15 years. She explained that today’s players receive better coaching, better facilities and much stronger support from their cricket boards. Unlike her generation, many women cricketers can now focus only on cricket because they are full-time professionals. She believes this has helped improve the quality of the game and has allowed players to reach much higher standards. Taylor said it is wonderful to see women getting the respect and recognition they deserve.
“Transformation is the right word. There have been a number of incremental changes on the way, and the difference is huge between when I played 15 years ago and now. They are supported all the way through. They have their kit sponsors. Whether they are Indians or English, they get the best venues in their countries. They get the best coaches. What you are seeing is fully professional female cricketers. And they are paid to play.”
One of the biggest moments in Taylor’s career came long before she lifted World Cups. She decided to leave a well-paid corporate job at Procter & Gamble to become a full-time cricketer at a time when there was very little money in women’s cricket. It was a difficult decision because many of her friends continued building successful careers while she gave everything to the sport she loved. Looking back now, Taylor says she has no regrets because representing England and winning World Cups meant much more than financial success.
“If I wanted to be a better cricketer, I had to make some sacrifice. It was a difficult decision. You know, the guy who I worked alongside, I would meet him two or three years later. He has a lovely job, a lovely house, a Porsche and everything. And I don’t have a job and I live at home with my mum and dad and I definitely don’t have a Porsche, right? So it was hard that I dropped off that career ladder. But it was easy as well because if I had wanted to stay on the career ladder, I would have had to go to Geneva or Cincinnati and they don’t play much cricket there, do they? But I wanted to be a brilliant cricketer. And I was part of teams that won World Cups. That is what it is all about, isn’t it?”
Taylor also shared an important lesson that helped shape her career. During the early years, she tried to learn from some of the best batters in the world, including Belinda Clark, Charlotte Edwards and Jan Brittin. However, she soon realised that copying other players would never help her become the cricketer she wanted to be. Instead, she focused on improving her own strengths and becoming the best version of herself. She believes every player has a different style, and cricket gives everyone the chance to succeed in their own way.
“I think you can divide my career into maybe three chunks. You can divide it into that first, trying to figure out what was going on and getting a bit of coaching and everything. Then maybe a period between 2001 and 2005 when I was trying to be one of the best players in the world. Rather than trying to emulate players like Belinda Clark, Charlotte Edwards or Jan Brittin, I decided I didn’t need to be them. I was never going to be as good as them, only a second-rate version of them. I wanted to be the best version of me. There are different ways of being brilliant. That is the amazing thing about cricket though, isn’t it? There is so much space in the game for all sorts of people.”
Taylor finished the interview with a smile when she joked about England’s famous “Taylor” connection in women’s cricket. After speaking about Clare Taylor and former England wicketkeeper Sarah Taylor, she laughed that perhaps England need another Taylor if they want to win another World Cup. “And there were Taylors in the team before Clare. Maybe someone in this England team should change their name and be a Taylor, so we could be World champions again.”
Claire Taylor’s career is remembered not only because of her records but also because of the choices she made and the example she set for future generations. She showed that following a dream sometimes means making difficult sacrifices, but those sacrifices can be worth it in the end. Her success helped inspire many young girls to take up cricket, and her achievements played an important role in the growth of the women’s game. Today, as women’s cricket continues to become bigger and stronger around the world, Taylor remains proud to have helped build the path that today’s players are now enjoying.
(Quotes sourced from The Hindu)
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