England’s leggie spoke to Jo Harman for issue 29 of Wisden Cricket Monthly
Sarah Glenn, the bolter in England’s T20 World Cup squad, spoke to Jo Harman for issue 29 of Wisden Cricket Monthly about naturally being drawn to leg-spin, her early inspirations and the moment which decided her future.
As a youngster I bowled seam but I would run up to the crease and my wrist would just flick. My coaches were like, ‘What’s going on here?’ I watched some video clips, of Shane Warne maybe, and decided on leg-spin because it seemed more fun. It wasn’t until I got a bit older that I realised I could add something a bit different to the teams I played for.
I admire Rashid Khan so much because he has so many variations and you never know which ball he’s going to bowl. You can tell batters are almost already defeated before they get to the crease, just because he has that level of skill. Growing up, Shane Warne was a big inspiration and since then Dane van Niekerk from South Africa. I’ve played against her a few times in the KSL (Kia Super League) and she’s really talented.
I grew up around club cricket, playing for Denby in Derbyshire, and women’s cricket was still a bit unknown. I played with the boys and was one of the only girls, and I still got the odd question when I played against them. I remember a lot of people going to the club to watch the 2009 Women’s World T20 semi-final, and that partnership [of 122 between Claire Taylor and Beth Morgan to chase down 164 against Australia]. When that went off I was going round saying, ‘See, women’s cricket is good, it can be a thing’.
Buy issue 29 of Wisden Cricket Monthly here
