I want to be a genuine all-rounder – Glenn

The 2020 NatWest PCA Women’s Player of the Year Sarah Glenn is hoping to cement her position as a genuine all-rounder in England’s line-up following her win at the NatWest Cricket Awards on Saturday evening.

The leg-spinner stated her ambition in the wake of her award win which saw her succeed teammate Sophie Ecclestone to claim the most coveted individual prize in English women’s cricket.

The 21-year-old has enjoyed a rapid rise to the very top of the women’s game after making her international debut as recently as December 2019, and has thus far mostly starred as a specialist bowler.

She took eight wickets at an average of 11.6 during her first ODI series against Pakistan in Malaysia, on the back of which she was named the PCA’s England Women ODI MVP for 2019/20.

Glenn also claimed the T20I MVP following the West Indies’ tour of England this summer, finishing as her side’s top wicket-taker with seven but also playing an increasingly significant role with the bat, striking 46 runs at an average of 15.33.

It’s a trend that Glenn hopes will continue in the wake of her 2020 NatWest PCA Women’s Player of the Year award win.

“It’s taken me by surprise how quickly things have escalated, but I’ve loved every moment of it and I’m trying to look too far ahead – just to the next game.

“I like to keep it simple, when I go downhill it’s often because I’m thinking about the batter and what they’re doing. As long as I’m focusing on myself, keeping my game simple and knowing my best ball, that’s where my success comes from.

“I’ve always wanted to be a genuine all-rounder, not a batter who bowls or vice versa. To be given the opportunity to go a bit higher up the order has been really good for me.

“I want to keep developing my game with the bat and in the field to hopefully offer both options.”

Full list of NatWest Cricket Award winners:

• NatWest PCA Men’s Player of the Year – Chris Woakes (England / Warwickshire)
• NatWest PCA Women’s Player of the Year – Sarah Glenn (England Women)
• Vitality PCA Young Player of the Year – Zak Crawley (England / Kent)
• Test Player of the Summer – Stuart Broad
• Royal London ODI Player of the Summer – David Willey
• Vitality IT20 Player of the Summer – Dawid Malan
• Bob Willis Trophy Player of the Year – Craig Overton (Somerset)
• Vitality Blast Player of the Year – Will Jacks (Surrey)
• Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy Player of the Year – Georgia Adams (Southern Vipers)
• Greene King Team of the Year – Alastair Cook (Essex), Jake Libby (Worcestershire), Tom Lammonby (Somerset), Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire), Will Jacks (Surrey), Chris Cooke (Glamorgan) [wk], Ryan Higgins (Gloucestershire), Craig Overton (Somerset), Simon Harmer (Essex) [c], Josh Davey (Somerset)
• ECB Special Award – Prof Nick Peirce (ECB)
• #Raisethebat Award – Jane Reeson (Over CC, Cambridgeshire)
• Connecting Communities Award – Jamie Saunders (Isleham CC, Cambridgeshire)
• Proactive Leadership Award – Miles Horner (Macclesfield CC, Cheshire)

About NatWest’s partnership with cricket:

NatWest has been involved in cricket for 39 years, supporting cricket communities from the ground up. Its sponsorship starts with community club cricket and extends to the pinnacle of the game, as the principal partner of England Cricket men’s, women’s, age-groups, disability and VI teams.

NatWest CricketForce is an annual event that has helped thousands of clubs to upgrade their facilities and is the United Kingdom’s largest annual sport-volunteering programme. This year, NatWest adapted its programme to create a digital, six-week programme throughout July and August to help grassroot clubs get up and running – including free online financial advice and toolkits as well as providing clubs with PPE equipment.

Over 3200 clubs signed up for NatWest CricketForce this year, beating 2019’s record of 2200. Just under 3000 PPE kits have been sent to clubs and over 1300 club members have engaged with NatWest’s Club cricket financial guide, a financial toolkit to help clubs navigate through the difficult financial environment post-lockdown.

NatWest is also the main charity partner of Chance to Shine, which uses cricket to engage with children and young adults, aiding education, social cohesion and wellbeing.

To find out more about NatWest’s involvement in cricket at all levels of the game, head to: natwest.com/cricket