Women's World Twenty20: England's Sarah Taylor to miss tournament due to anxiety issues

London: England wicket-keeper Sarah Taylor will miss the Women's World Twenty20 in the West Indies in November as she continues to manage her anxiety condition, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced on Friday.

The 29-year-old, long regarded as the best 'keeper in women's cricket, and a dynamic batsman as well, took nearly a year out of the game but returned to become a key member of the England team that won the 2017 50-over Women's World Cup.

File image of England's Sarah Taylor. Reuters

The ECB said a "mutual decision" had been made by Taylor and the England management for her to miss the tournament in the Caribbean, which starts on 9 November.

"Since the end of the summer Sarah hasn't been able to train fully with the squad due to not being as fit as she would want to be from a psychological point of view," said England women's coach Mark Robinson in a statement.

"At the moment she isn't in a place where we would all be comfortable that the demanding training, playing and travel schedule wouldn't potentially put her backwards and make her road to full recovery longer," he added.

"It's important we see mental health in a similar way to a player with a physical injury. You wouldn't risk a player if you felt that playing them with an injury would increase the chances of them being out for a long time or the issue even becoming career-threatening."

Robinson said he hoped Taylor would be fit to play cricket again in the new year.

"Sarah will continue to train at Loughborough (in England's national cricket centre) at a pace more suited to where she is right now with a view to hopefully being fully fit in the new year.

"All of our players' health and well-being is the most important thing and we must never lose sight of that in the intense and demanding world of professional sport."

England won the inaugural Women's World Twenty20 in 2009 and were beaten finalists in both 2012 and 2014.

The 2018 edition of thournament will be the first time the women's Twenty20 is a standalone event and not linked to a men's competition.

England are in Group A, together with defending champions the West Indies, South Africa, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.