Sarah Taylor joins Northern Diamonds

The 32-year-old has made 226 appearances for England for all formats, scoring 6,533 runs and completing 128 catches and 104 stumpings

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Former England wicketkeeper Sarah Taylor has joined Northern Diamonds and will make her debut against South East Stars on June 12.

The 32-year-old, who will also represent Welsh Fire in The Hundred, is a replacement for Lauren Winfield-Hill, who has been called up by England. Bess Heath is currently injured.

Taylor, who is considered one of the best wicketkeepers in the world, holds the record for the most stumpings in women’s T20Is and ODIs, with 51 in each format, and has completed a total of 128 catches and 104 stumpings in her international career. She has also scored 6,533 runs for England in all formats.

Commenting on signing for Diamonds, Taylor said: "Dani [Hazell] gave me a call and told me that Lauren [Winfield-Hill] was going off with England and Bess [Heath] is injured so they were after a keeper, and it’s good for me to play in a good competition in preparation for my Hundred stint. It’s kind of a win-win for everyone really, but it was really nice of Dani to think of me.

"It’s going to be a good test for me. I might be a little bit rusty but part of the reason for me playing is to get rid of that. Hopefully, I will perform well and can carry on where I left off. If I don’t then it’s okay, it’s just me getting back into the swing of things and remembering what it’s like to keep for 50 overs.

"I know the Diamonds squad is a good one and I’m looking forward to joining them at training tomorrow."

Taylor retired from cricket in 2019, citing personal reasons, but recently found herself drawn back into the game, first in a coaching capacity at Sussex before signing for Welsh Fire in The Hundred.

"I had to take some time out of the game to gain a little bit of perspective on it, but after everything had settled down, life got back to normal. It was nice to then have the opportunity to look at the game and throw myself into it," she said.

"Once the opportunity came around with Sussex and then the Welsh Fire, it was a really easy decision to come back. Now with the Northern Diamonds, I think I’d be stupid to turn these opportunities down."