Amy Jones

Following Sarah Taylor as England's wicketkeeper would be a tough ask for any young cricketer, but Amy Jones looked increasingly secure in the role as she became a regular across formats from 2018. While perfectly capable behind the stumps, her batting is her strong suit, and she had to wait patiently before taking the gloves on a permanent basis after Taylor's retirement.

A former MCC Young Cricketer who studied at Loughborough, Jones played only a handful of internationals early in her career while acting as Taylor's reserve. She was included in the 2012 World Twenty20 squad, but did not make her debut until a year later, when she made 41 against Sri Lanka in the 2013 World Cup.

She was part of the side that finished as runners-up to Australia in the 2014 World T20, but again found opportunities hard to come by as she came in and out of the side over the next few years. However, she continued to impress for the England academy, and was unfortunate to miss out on selection for the 2015 Ashes Test after making 155* in a warm-up match against the touring Australians.

Jones' breakthrough innings in an England shirt came in defeat, but after six years around the side without an international half-century, an innings of 94 against India in Nagpur in early 2018 put to bed any doubts about her ability with the bat. Two more ODI fifties followed as an opener against New Zealand that summer, and she anchored the run chase in the T20 World Cup semi-final before England fell at the final hurdle.

With increasing fluency and power, Jones hit three fifties on the bounce in Sri Lanka in March 2019, and scored consistently and quickly in the T20I series that followed and at home to West Indies. Her form deserted her in the Ashes, barring a gritty 60 in the Test at Taunton, and despite being backed ahead of Tammy Beaumont as an opener in the T20 World Cup side in early 2020, she struggled for consistency.

ESPNcricinfo staff