Sarah Taylor - she who slayed her demons for greatness
Taylor leaves behind fond memories and a rich legacy
It's March, 2016, in Delhi ahead of the World Twenty20 semi-final double header, which happens to involve both England's men and women against New Zealand and Australia, respectively.
Such is the grandeur of the hotels in this part of the world, all four teams are able to call one their home. In a foyer full of the game's global stars, Sarah Taylor sticks out for a simple reason. She's in her pyjamas.
It is here, legs crossed and occupying most of a three-seater couch, that she cuts the most relaxed of figures. She has always been engaging, charismatic and brutally honest in her interviews. One bit of this chat in particular stands out - when Taylor explains the merits of going about your life in a trial-and-error manner:
"There are times when you're just going through life and you've been in the same environments all your life. But, actually, putting yourself in a situation where you've got absolutely no idea what's going to happen. Putting yourself miles away from your comfort zone as possible and seeing how you react. How you deal with things. That can do amazing things for you. Especially when you deal with them badly."
Three months later, Taylor would take an indefinite break from cricket. Her anxiety had reached a point where she needed round-the-clock care. Friends and family knew of her battles but this was the first time the wider public had been informed. In hindsight, the signs were there from that Delhi hotel foyer, though it would have been crass and counter-productive to have made the leap.
She was in her pyjamas because she would spend all day in her room, not wanting to speak to anyone or expose herself to the crowds that generally congregate at these hotels, even earning herself the nickname 'Room Service Sarah'. Those moments of getting out of her comfort zone and into situations where she would "deal with them badly" had taken its toll.
On Friday, Sarah Taylor announced her retirement from international cricket at the age of 30. Though there is a sadness that anxiety is what has led to this decision, it is hard to look back on her career and find much she dealt with badly.
From her England debut in 2006, Taylor went on to make 226 appearances across all three formats, with 6,533 runs scored with an effortless elegance usually reserved for left-handers. That her career played out in a golden period for women's cricket in this country is of no coincidence. She has winners medals from two World Cups (2009 and 2017), a World Twenty20 (2009) and three Ashes triumphs. Personally, she was a four-time ICC women's cricketer of the year across the limited-overs formats.
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