It was sunny morning at Queens Sports Club but things were
grim for Zimbabwe as the experience players have gone against the polices of
board which led a side of strugglers and new comers put up against strong Sri
Lankan side, among them was a young talented teenager from Mashonaland who had
just turned 18, Seventeen years since, with numbers of ups and downs, he is
still leading Zimbabwe and ensuring her flag keeps flying high
It has been 17 years this week when
Cricket in Zimbabwe changed forever. It has also been 17 years for Brendon
Taylor in International Cricket. He is link between the golden generation of
Zimbabwe (1998-2004) and a generation which was left in the lurch (2004-2011).
There will always be question, would he have been the greatest cricketer from
Zimbabwe if he had received the same kind of facilities which Flowers, Campbells,
Streaks, Goodwins got.
In his early years his talent was
nurtured by Ian Campbell, father of former Zimbabwe Captain Alistair Campbell.
He ensured that the talent that Taylor possessed was fine tuned. The glimpse of
this was evident from young age when he played his initial First Class match at
the age of only 15 in 2001-02. He was only 16 when he made a double hundred in
Logan Cup in 2002-03. This was the prime reason why he was picked up for the
Sri Lanka series when the senior players and board were at loggerheads.
 |
| An 18 year Taylor notching 50 against Australia, May 2004 |
Taylor had celebrated his 18th
Birthday just two months before his international debut. In initial years he
found hard to cope up with the pressure of International cricket. However by scoring 3 consecutive fifties against Sri
Lanka and Australia only in his first month of International Cricket in 2004,
it was evident that Zimbabwe had got a special talent. While Taylor at times
had fought lone battles in his early years but consistency was something which
eluded him probably because there was no senior to guide him as his generation
grew up faltering and learning by themselves.
Taylor got international recognition as
his country’s main batsman in 2006 when he played a match winning inning of 79*
of 72 balls. 20 –year old Taylor sealed the game with a last ball six of
Mashrafe Mortaza. Year 2009 was breakthrough for Taylor, in spite of scoring
tons of runs he hadn’t yet notched up a hundred. On 5th November
2009 at Chattogram, Taylor notched his first international hundred and since
then he had made playing long innings a crucial habit of his batting.
 |
| Taylor celebrating his first 100 vs Bangladesh, 5th November 2009 |
His 145* against South Africa in 2010
could be termed as one of the best innings played by a Zimbabwe cricketer. During
this era Zimbabwe had taken a break from Test Cricket (2005-2011), When
Zimbabwe returned, Taylor stamped his class on the longer version of the game
as well. He made hundred in both of innings of a Test match against Bangladesh
in 2013 (171 and 102*). Taylor repeated this feat against same opposition this
time on foreign soil. In 2018 he scored 110 and 106* at Dhaka albeit these
hundreds came in losing cause.
Taylor played one of his best innings
against India in 2015 World Cup. Decided to quit Zimbabwe Cricket in search of
more stable career in United Kingdom, Taylor scored a smashing hundred against
a quality Indian side at Eden Park, Auckland in Zimbabwe’s last World Cup
encounter. He scored 138 of just 110
deliveries and gave Zimbabwe an outside chance to create a major upset.
 |
| Taylor's 138 vs India was a top notch inning |
Post World Cup Taylor moved to England
to start his new life, it looked that a career which had all the ingredients
would be left unfulfilled. Taylor returned however in late 2017 and since then
has formed an important crux of Zimbabwe’s batting order which includes Taylor,
Sean Williams, Sean Ervine and Sikandar Raza, unfortunately all four have not
played much together due to different reasons.
In their hay days Zimbabwe players like
Campbell and Andy Flower played 6 tests per year on an average. Had Taylor
played at same rate he would have played 66 Tests by now (out of 17 years since
Taylor started playing, Zimbabwe didn’t played for 6 years , in remaining 11
years he would played 11x6= 66 Tests ) Considering that even he would have
scored at the same average he would have somewhere around 4300-4400 Test runs
to his name. But such has been the situation in Zimbabwe since 2004 that the
cricketers feel lucky to get chance to play international cricket. So whatever
chance they are getting they like grabbing with both the hands.
 |
| Last Ball Six against Bangladesh, 2nd August 2006 |
Taylor is now 35 and is no doubt is
nearing the end of a fruitful career during which he has served his country
selflessly. He however would be having few more milestones in his mind. The
qualification for World Cup 2023 which will be played in Zimbabwe in 2023 will
be the biggest inspiration for him to play for at least two more years. During
which he shall also target to reach to 50 Tests landmark, the latter being a
bit difficult as Zimbabwe are scheduled to play only 7 Tests in next 18 months.
ICC’s plan to divide the ICC Test Championship in two divisions might benefit
Zimbabwe but then these are in initial stages.
Brendon Taylor has been Zimbabwe’s flag
bearer in past two decades, a time when Zimbabwe has floundered continuously
only to be helped by some of the names who seem to have become an integral part
of Zimbabwean cricket forever. Taylor is one such pillar of Zimbabwean Cricket
without which the team would find even more difficult to compete.
 |
| Taylor's prime goal will help Zimbabwe qualify for 2023 WC |
Brendon Taylor’s record
|
Format |
Matches |
Innings |
N/O |
Runs |
Average |
100 |
50 |
Catches/Stumping |
|
Tests |
32 |
64 |
4 |
2089 |
34.81 |
6 |
10 |
28/0 |
|
ODI |
199 |
198 |
15 |
6530 |
35.68 |
11 |
39 |
131/29 |
|
T20I |
45 |
45 |
06 |
934 |
23.94 |
00 |
06 |
20/02 |
|
First
Class |
133 |
242 |
13 |
9306 |
40.63 |
32 |
34 |
146/04 |
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