England's Women's Player of the Summer Tammy Beaumont says she was thinking of leaving cricket a year ago.
The 25-year-old, who had spent nearly two years out of the side, scored 342 runs in three one-day internationals against Pakistan in June.
"I was making sure I had other options away from cricket in case I didn't get another contract," she told BBC Sport.
"I was getting stuck at the 'I need another job' part. It usually starts with a gap year."
Beaumont, named as player of the summer at Wednesday's Professional Cricketers' Association awards, was first recalled to England's Twenty20 side as Charlotte Edwards' opening partner for their tour of South Africa in February and the subsequent World Twenty20.
She then returned to the ODI team this summer, opening with Lauren Winfield, after Edwards was relieved of the captaincy and subsequently retired from internationals.
