Sarah Taylor says she is excited to play in her first away tour in 16 months
Friday 8 February 2019 14:53, UK
Sarah Taylor is relishing the prospect of playing in her first away tour for England in 16 months after being included in the one-day international squad for the trip to India in late February.
The 29-year-old missed the World T20 in the West Indies last November as part of the process of managing her anxiety condition.
Taylor, who also missed England's trip to India in March 2018, believes her continued development of a sportsperson with anxiety has led her to be in a better position on and off the field.
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"I am looking forward to going to India," she told Sky Sports. "There are obviously going to be a few road bumps and challenges in it, but I am probably in a better place in life to deal with those.
"I obviously have got the support of the ECB, which has been fantastic all the way through this whole process.
"From a mental health point of view, I would like to get to India first of all, that would be nice, and take it day by day, as it comes. Getting back on the field in an England shirt and playing with the girls would be pretty special."
Taylor starred during the 2018 summer as England claimed ODI series wins over New Zealand and South Africa, and won the T20 Tri-series between the three teams, before playing an important role in helping Surrey Stars win their maiden Kia Super League title.
Following a lengthy and intense period of playing high-pressured sport, the wicketkeeper-batsman felt the tournament in the Caribbean came too quickly for her travel to, instead taking the time at home to get back into a routine of training and doing things away from cricket.
Having openly spoken about her battle with anxiety in a bid to help others, Taylor went a step further over the winter training to be a life coach in the hopes further providing assistance to those in need who do not have easily accessible help.
"I knew the support I was getting from the ECB, Professional Cricketers Association and everyone has been amazing," she explained.
"I realised that without these people, I would never have achieved anything, I would never have got back and I probably wouldn't still be playing cricket.
"It was a light bulb moment where I realised I would like to be the person behind the scenes helping others. I was googling away, looking at courses and being a life coach came up.
"I did a lot of research into it and thought that's for me, I would like to be the person helping someone, helping as many people as I can.
"It is quite an easy path to go down, I haven't regretted it and it is probably the best decision I have made."
Last summer, Taylor struck her seventh ODI century against the Proteas and claimed six stumpings across the three series against South Africa and the White Ferns.
For the Sussex player, the time she takes away from the game to focus on her health also serves as a reminder of what she loves about her profession.
"It's like when you love something as a child and then get reminded of the moment when you were watching something or playing with something as a child, and you get that feeling of excitement again," Taylor said.
"It has felt like that for me quite recently. With everything, you get ups and downs and sometimes things going on away from cricket can affect your cricket, but I feel like I've got a nice balance of separating the two.
"I'm honing in to what I really love about cricket and what brings out the best in me when playing, and that's quite a nice focus. That's why I'm still playing and I'm back."
