England Women’s cricket player celebrates with Ashes inspired nail art

Sarah Glenn celebrates making England Women’s Ashes squad with cricket-themed nail art by Bristol-based nail artist Danni Moore

Sarah Glenn continues to embrace her love of fashion and beauty, despite the naysayers. To celebrate her inclusion in the England Women’s Ashes squad, she’s teamed up with Bristol-based nail artist Danni Moore to create some cricket-themed nail art.

Featuring iconic images such as a cricket bat, a helmet, and an England flag, Sarah, 23, will be sporting her nail art in the first Vitality IT20 match of the Metro Bank Women’s Ashes against Australia at Edgbaston on Saturday (July 1st).

“I’m feeling really good at the moment and excited about preparing for the next game with the girls. My nails look so fantastic, I might have to say I’m unavailable to play,” she laughs.

“Seriously though, I love them. They’re my own rather than fake, because bowling with acrylic nails would be painful. I’ve had so many comments criticising my love of fashion, for wearing makeup and having manicures, but I’ve learned to ignore it.”

It’s a huge summer for women’s cricket this year, with a joint Ashes series seeing the men’s and women’s teams playing alongside each other in the country’s biggest stadiums for the first time, followed by the third edition of The Hundred, a competition credited with turbocharging the women’s game.

Ticket sales for this year’s Women’s Ashes have broken all previous records, with more than 80,000 sold so far.

With the increase in profile for the women’s game, Sarah is determined to encourage young women to take up the sport and let them know that times have changed since she was a girl. “The women’s team is up there, playing at the big venues alongside the men’s team. It’s something I couldn’t have imagined when I was growing up,” she says.

She feels so strongly about smashing stereotypes that she’s writing a thesis about the trolling of elite sportswomen as part of a sports science degree that she’s studying through the Open University.

“When a male cricketer talks about his hobbies on social media, followers generally think it’s cool. It’s not the same for women. People take it as a sign that she’s not spending enough time on her sport. One of my hobbies is going shopping. I also like to get dressed up and take pictures of myself because it makes me feel good. What’s wrong with that? Young girls are playing cricket now and that’s amazing to see, and I want to be an advocate for them.”

Sarah admits that there have been times when hurtful social media comments have upset her. “Mostly, I can cope with them, but there are times, if I feel down or something’s not going well, when I find them overwhelming.”

And staying off social media can be hard. “After a game, I might find myself scrolling through TikTok and Instagram and it can be addictive. Then I’ll see comments about cricket, and I can’t switch off. What I do now if I really want to relax, is leave my phone at home and go for a walk with my Labrador Reggie. My instinct is to take my phone, but I feel a real benefit from leaving it behind,” she says.

Women’s cricket has grown exponentially over the last 10 years, the increased opportunities to play and access to the game has encouraged more women and girls cricket clubs than ever before. But women’s cricket hasn’t always been as accessible as it is today.

“In the past, women like me might have played in boys’ and men’s cricket where you get a lot of comments. There’d be patronizing stuff like ‘quite good for a girl’ or they’d say things about me making the tea. If you hit them for four, you’d know the next ball would be coming for your head. It was all very predictable.”

She says that the only way to deal with the sexism was to prove them wrong. “I think all of us in the women’s team feel a little bit like that. My message to girls in sport is to be strong and know that people like me are changing things.”

“I’m not precious about my nails,” says Sarah. “I can’t be, because I’m a cricket player. Danni’s designs are gorgeous, and I can’t think of a better way to celebrate making the squad than having my nails done.”

England narrowly lost to Australia in the recent five-day Test of the Ashes, with batter Tammy Beaumont going down in history for getting the highest score ever in England women’s cricket. The pressure is on you can expect an edge-of-your-seat competition in the weeks to come as the series continues throughout July.

With family-friendly pricing, tickets are selling out fast for The Women’s Ashes and The Hundred, so don’t miss out. Visit ecb.co.uk/tickets/England or thehundred.com