Along with Charlotte Edwards, she was the mainstay of England's batting during the first decade of the 21st century, and played a key role in the team's two world titles in 2009.

Despite her struggles at the World Cup, Taylor continued to improve as a batsman, and in 2006, she scored 156 not out, the highest individual total in an ODI at Lord's Cricket Ground.

[9] The following year, having graduated from Oxford with a second-class honours degree,[5] Taylor scored successive half-centuries for Thames Valley, reaching 97 against Sussex, 77 against Lancashire and Cheshire, and an unbeaten 62 against East Midlands.

[10] Even so, she was not included in the team for the 1997 Women's Cricket World Cup, but she was named as a non-travelling reserve, something that Taylor said "confirmed to me my breakthrough into the senior squad.

"[7] In April 1998, Taylor travelled to South Africa as part of the England Under-21 squad that competed in the women's Inter-Provincial Tournament, scoring two half-centuries in the competition.

England struggled in the series, and Taylor was one of a number of inexperienced players in the squad who "failed to seize their chance", according to the Wisden Cricketers' Almanack report.

[18] In a series in which England's batting was described as dismal, her half-century was one of only two in ODIs during the tour, and Wisden reported that giving Taylor an "overdue opportunity" was one saving grace of the trip.

[34] She continued to struggle at the start of the 2003 English domestic season, prompting Wisden to report that she "had barely scraped a run" in the County Championship matches.

[40] Her performances in the ODI series were less eye-catching, but a half-century in the first match helped her finish second to Laura Newton as England's leading run-scorer.

After scoring 90 runs in a warm-up contest against an Invitational XI,[43] she finished as England's second most prolific run-scorer behind Edwards, though she only once reached a half-century in the international matches.

[49] In preparation for the 2005 Women's Cricket World Cup in South Africa, Taylor played her third and final season in the State League, though her 229 runs at an average of 38.16 were the lowest she achieved in any year of the competition.

[50] During a short warm-up series against South Africa, she enjoyed batting success, scoring 94 and 47 in the two ODIs,[9] and then an unbeaten 166 runs against a side from Gauteng and North West.

She scored 136 runs from 128 balls,[53] and shared century partnerships with both Edwards and Clare Connor to help England record a large victory.

[54] She made little impact against India in the next match, but then scored 55 not out against South Africa and 46 against New Zealand to help ensure England's qualification for the semi-finals.

[9] Cricinfo reported that Australia were "undoubted favourites" for their semi-final clash with England, and that Taylor would be one of her side's key players for the contest.

[58] In the first Test, Taylor scored a patient 35 runs in the first innings, and shared a partnership of 81 with Edwards, but the pair fell in quick succession, and England struggled thereafter.

[67] Facing the touring Indians later that summer, Taylor made small totals in her first two appearances at the crease, scoring 10 in the only Twenty20 match, and 32 in the first innings of their solitary Test.

[68][69] The first game of the ODI series featured what the Marylebone Cricket Club describe as "Taylor's finest hour in an England shirt".

[77] England started the summer with four Twenty20 matches, one against South Africa and three against New Zealand, in which Taylor made three scores of 20 or more, but did not reach a half-century.

In ten ODI matches in Australia against their hosts previously, England had only managed one win,[84] while against New Zealand they had won just three of fifteen contests.

[92] In the following match, Taylor scored the seventh international century of her career, remaining 111 not out as England secured a nine-wicket win over New Zealand.

[103] She asserted her dominance once more in the second match, against India, scoring quicker than a run a ball for her 69 not out, to help England chase down a modest total in under 40 overs.

[104] Not required to bat against Pakistan, and dismissed for 19 against New Zealand, Taylor helped secure England's place in the final with a rapid 65 runs, including 2 sixes and 6 fours, against the West Indies.

Despite not being required to bat in England's opening match against India, she was the second most prolific batsmen in the competition, finishing with 199 runs, just one less than New Zealand's Aimee Watkins.

[111] In the group stage match against Sri Lanka, Taylor achieved her highest score in Twenty20 International cricket, making an unbeaten 75.

Taylor finished as England's leading run-scorer in the ODI series, scoring 166 runs at an average of 41.50, including half-centuries in two of the matches.

[123] Her injury had healed by the start of the 2011 season, but Taylor failed to make a significant impact on England's first two matches of the Twenty20 Quadrangular series, against New Zealand and Australia.

In the third match however, ESPNcricinfo's Liam Brickhill claimed that she "roared back into form" with 66 runs from 46 balls to help England to a big win over India.

At the time, it was unusual for a member of the England women's team to have individual coaching sessions, and Taylor had to pay for the meetings herself.

[131] The editor of that years almanack, Scyld Berry, noted that "there is no element of political correctness or publicity-seeking about her selection," and that she had been "chosen on merit, for being pre-eminent in her form of the game.