Sarah Taylor recounts her days in men's cricket

Taylor pointed that apart from the difference in dressing-room banter, there wasn't much of a contrast during her stay with the men's team. © Getty

Sarah Taylor, England wicketkeeper-bat, created history by becoming the first woman to play men's grade cricket in Australia when she appeared for Northern Districts against Port Adelaide in October 2015. Her participation in a men's competition, one of the toughest in South Australia, generated unprecedented hype in the media that, by her own admission, left Taylor unnecessarily pressurizing herself.

"I probably put a bit too much pressure on myself to perform there. But I wasn't expecting anything different (in comparison). I was lucky enough to get to a couple of training sessions before the game. And don't get me wrong, there were some quick bowlers there. Luckily, I managed to hold nerve," Taylor told media after England's practice session on Thursday (March 10).

"I knew it was going to be tough, I knew it was going to be a long day with a 100 overs in a day."

The 26-year-old recalled how it was as easy as just expressing her interest in playing alongside men that fetched her the opportunity to be a part of the Australian league. "I said I wanted to play men's cricket. The message was sent around to all the clubs and the teams who were interested got back. I was always going to play for the Australian men's team (Northern Districts) that I eventually played for, but it was a case of what level I was going to play at."

A veteran of eight Tests, 101 One-Day Internationals and 76 Twenty20 Internationals, Taylor admitted that the offer she almost gave up on has indeed taught her a lot. "In all honesty, when the first time they said you want to play A Grade, a tough grade, I went 'no'. When I was eventually talked into it, I saw all the benefits of it. It was probably the best thing I have ever done. It was a good way to test myself, to test my ability and see where I was at and the areas I could improve.

"I stood back a lot. In a women's game, you stand up for the majority (of the time), where as in the men's I stood back for 80-90% of the time. So, that was a huge contrast in terms of my legwork. I took away a lot of stuff I needed to work on (like) standing back and my leg-movement. It was good (overall), dealing with the pace and bounce and a different sized ball. That's what I wanted to challenge myself with," Taylor noted when asked about the takeaways from her experience.

Even though Taylor regrets not getting enough match experience, because of the scheduling of Women's Big Bash League, the English wicketkeeper expressed her satisfaction with the progress she has made in her game since then.

Taylor pointed that apart from the difference in dressing-room banter, there wasn't much of a contrast during her stay with the men's team. "The guys were brilliant and they were quite protective of me. If someone made a joke or passed a comment at me, sometimes I wouldn't have time for a comeback, because someone else would have already defended me."

After winning the inaugural championship in 2009, England fell short twice, losing to Australia on both occasions. But Taylor feels the team has come back better and more confident this time. "As a team we are probably a stronger unit than we were previously. That's got a lot to do with the new coaches, new environment, just a very relaxed way of going about your cricket. And even the approach is really positive and aggressive, and guess, that aspect has to be in T20 cricket... But I wouldn't necessarily say that our preparation has been too much different."

Taylor, like her captain Charlotte Edwards, stressed that tournament has no favourites at the moment, thanks to some phenomenal performances from other participants in their recent fixtures. "India did fantastically against Australia, New Zealand too. South Africa-West Indies went down to the last one yesterday. When India are at home, they are very formidable. And the West Indies have been playing some really good cricket. This is what you want from a World Cup tournament... the sub-continental teams know the conditions better than what we do. So, I think, it going to be the team that adapts quickly that's going to win this."

Asked if she, and women cricketers in general, are okay being paid considerably less than their male counterparts, Taylor dealt the bouncer with poise. "If you compare when I first started ten years ago, and where we are now, it's huge. Genuinely huge.

"You have to be rational about these things, in terms of how many people watch men's game and the income that they bring compared to how much they get paid. As women's squads, and that includes all the other teams, we're realistic. The game is growing. We are extremely happy with where we are right now compared to where we were." she concluded.

via- Cricbuzz