Shared News • Last updated on Sat, 23 Jun, 2018, 10:41 AM
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!“I’ve been working so hard on my keeping. [Former Hampshire wicketkeeper] Bates has been brilliant for me in terms of everything he’s done for my keeping” – Taylor © Getty
England Women may have topped the table in the ongoing tri-series that includes New Zealand and South Africa. But ahead of their double-header on Saturday, wicketkeeper Sarah Taylor believes their fitness will be key, if they have to sustain 80 overs in Taunton.
“We’re fitter and stronger than we’ve ever been,” she told BBC Sport on Friday (June 23). “It will be tough – the Kiwis are obviously strong opposition. We just have to try to look at it like a 40-over game each side.”
England, who will first face South Africa before New Zealand, kicked off their series with a record 121-run win over the former. After having posted the highest total in women’s T20Is – 250 for 3, they beat South Africa comfortably, which came just hours after New Zealand had set the record after posting 216 for 3 in their 66-run win against the same opponents.
“We wanted to get off to a good start in the series and we did, but we have the World Cup in the back of our minds. This is a nice stepping stone and a good chance to see how everyone has been progressing.”
It has also been during England’s last couple of series that Taylor has shown her prowess, not just with the bat, but also behind the wickets, which prompted Australian legend Adam Gilchrist to describe her as the “best wicketkeeper in the world” across the men’s game and women’s.
“I tweeted, no longer than a week ago, that she is the best wicketkeeper in the world at the moment – male or female,” Gilchrist had said. “She’s done some work over the years in the Big Bash in Australia and with social media now you can see these little snippets.
