Claire Taylor is the first woman to be named Wisden’s Cricketer of the Year. She remains the highest scorer, male or female, in an ODI at Lord’s. She was the Player of the Series when England won both the ODI and T20 World Cups in 2009. She studied mathematics at Oxford and left a well-paying job at P&G to be a full-time cricketer when there was no money in the women’s game. Excerpts from an interview Taylor gave The Hindu at Lord’s:Women’s cricket has undergone quite a transformation since your playing days.Transformation is the right word. There have been a number of incremental changes on the way, and the difference is huge between when I played 15 years ago and now. They are supported all the way through. They have their kit sponsors. Whether they are Indians or English, they get the best venues in their countries. They get the best coaches. What you are seeing is fully professional female cricketers. And they are paid to play.You had to leave your job.If I wanted to be a better cricketer, I had to make some sacrifice. It was a difficult decision. You know, the guy who I worked alongside, I would meet him two or three years later. He has a lovely job, a lovely house, a Porsche and everything. And I don’t have a job and I live at home with my mum and dad and I definitely don’t have a Porsche, right? So it was hard that I dropped off that career ladder. But it was easy as well because if I had wanted to stay on the career ladder, I would have had to go to Geneva or Cincinnati and they don’t play much cricket there, do they? But I wanted to be a brilliant cricketer. And I was part of teams that won World Cups. That is what it is all about, isn’t it?Beating the old enemy: Taylor ’s 76 n.o. in the 2009 T20 World Cup semifinal ‘brought together everything’ she had been ‘working on to dominate ’ top teams like Australia.