Buzzin Cricket

As England’s male cricketers are left to reflect on their Stanford Twenty20 humiliation, one of their female counterparts has made a plea for her team not to be ignored as they prepare for a crucial year.

Sarah Taylor, the world’s fourth best batter in the ICC rankings, says that next year’s World Cup and Ashes 2009 series, along with the Twenty20 World Cup, could signal the start of a successful run for England’s women.

“Realistically we have a great chance to win the World Cup,” she says. ” We have a strong side full of enthusiasm and belief, and though we are a young side we have a lot of experience.”

England travel to Australia in March to compete in the tournament, and Taylor believes they will encounter some familiar foes: “New Zealand and Australia are definately the teams to beat, and home advantage will help them.”

Australia will then head for English soil to compete in the Twenty20 World Cup and the Ashes, which, after a period of Australian dominance, have been in English hands since 2005.

Taylor says that home advantage for both competitions should benefit her side: “Having the Twenty20 World Cup on home soil should be a definite advantage, yet there will be that added pressure of high expectations,” she admits. “I am confident that we can deal with it and that our supporters will be behind us.”

With the three biggest prizes in cricket up for grabs in such a short space of time, Taylor believes that the women’s team have never had such an opportunity to gain recognition.

“To have three major events in one year can only be good for the women’s game. I’m sure it will raise the profile of women’s cricket and we hope that there will be bigger crowds for all the games.”

The Sussex wicketkeeper, first called into the international fold in 2006 aged just 17, says that the team are hoping the Twenty20 tournament, where the women’s matches will be curtain raisers to the men’s games, will provide a platform to showcase their talents.

“Playing before the men’s games will make people aware of us and we hope to impress,” she says. ” Recognition is important for the women’s game and success is what we are working hard to achieve.”