By Glen Robertson
Sarah Taylor praised England Women’s ability to perform when it really mattered following the end of their successful Ashes series.
A seven-wicket defeat in Sydney meant the tourists had lost both games since wrapping up the series in Hobart, leaving the final score 10-8 in England’s favour.
But wicketkeeper Taylor, who shone throughout the series behind the stumps and with the bat, refuted suggestions that the losses took the gloss of the victory and highlighted the team’s performances in the Test match and the opening games of the one-day internationals and Twenty 20s as the key moments of the winter.
She told ecb.co.uk: “The way in which we lost the last two games has been disappointing, but in crucial moments I think we’ve performed throughout the tour.
“The Test match was tough but we stood up in that and delivered and then in the first one-day game, and we showed real fight in that first T20 when they scored a pretty decent total.
“In the critical moments we performed, which is ultimately what won us the series.”
And Taylor also praised a collective team effort, in which everybody played their part. While Australia’s Ellyse Perry was a worthy winner of the player of the series award, Taylor felt a number of England players could have won it.
“There’s so many,” she answered when asked who from the England team would have deserved the award. “You have to look at Lotte. She was brilliant in the Test match and brilliant in the first T20. She scores runs for fun.
“I think there have been so many memorable performances from every single person which just shows how tough this series has been as everyone has had to contribute and I think it holds us in good stead for the future.”
The past two defeats, which Taylor put down to poor performances with the bat which left the bowlers with too much to do, have seen England struggle with injuries and field a young side.
Taylor hopes the experience of facing a team as strong as Australia will benefit the youngsters ahead of the upcoming World T20 in Bangladesh.
“I think the girls that have played have learnt a lot,” Taylor said.
“The bowling is a little bit inexperienced but they will learn from this and it’s these sort of games where you probably learn the most.
“If they come away from this having learnt a lot, then you never know. They’ll be fighting for a place in Bangladesh and hopefully we’ll have some of the girls who have been injured back fit as well.”