Brendan Taylor
Encyclopedia
Brendan Taylor is a Zimbabwe
an cricketer, who is mainly a batsman, but occasionally keeps wicket or bowls off-spin as well. He is currently the captain of the Zimbabwean cricket team, having taken over the reins from Elton Chigumbura
after the 2011 Cricket World Cup
. He is the mainstay of the Zimbabwean batting line-up and is arguably, one of the few world-class players in the Zimbabwe cricket team. In 2011, he became the first Zimbabwean batsman to hit back-to-back One-Day International
centuries (128 not out and 107 not out), achieved against the New Zealand national cricket team in October 2011. He, as a result of his performances, was selected to play Twenty20
cricket for the Wellington cricket team as an overseas player in New Zealand's HRV Twenty20 Cup.
Taylor was groomed by Iain Campbell, the father of Zimbabwean Test cricketer Alistair Campbell
, at the Lilfordia primary school near Harare. During his teens, Taylor emerged as a regular choice for national age-group teams and played in two Under-19 World Cups. He made his first-class debut for Mashonaland A at the age of 15. The very next year, he shot to prominence by scoring 200 not out in the B Division of the Logan Cup. Strong domestic performances and a mass exodus of top-level players forced Taylor into the national team at the age of 18 against Sri Lanka in 2003-04.
In 2006, despite not having signed a new contract, he was selected in the national team. Soon, he took over the wicketkeeping responsibilities as well following the temporary departure of Tatenda Taibu
. He shot to international prominence after his 60 not out helped Zimbabwe achieve an incredible five-wicket upset over Australia in the 2007 ICC World Twenty20.
In July/August 2007, Taylor was re-selected for the Zimbabwe Select team against South Africa A, having not been available against India A. He scored just 15 runs (2 and 13) in the second first-class match, having been overlooked for the first game. With Tatenda Taibu back in the team, Taylor was no longer needed behind the stumps.
In the ODI series against the full South Africa team, the entire Zimbabwe squad performed above themselves (including their highest ODI score against South Africa), but falling short on all 3 occasions. Taylor too had a good series, ending as the 5th highest run-scorer, with 105 runs at 35.00.
Taylor's first Twenty20 outing was vs Eagles, Sept 2006 and the second was versus Bangladesh, Dec 2006.
on the last ball, giving Zimbabwe the victory, and contributing to their series win.
After a decent World Cup campaign, including 87 runs from 3 matches at an average of 29.00 (including a half-century; 50), Taylor went to play club cricket in Holland, despite a ruling by the Zimbabwe Cricket board that any player leaving the country to play club cricket would be overlooked for selection.
With Zimbabwe restricting Australia to just 138, by Twenty20 standards a poor score, Taylor also opened their innings. While Vusi Sibanda got the ball rolling with several quick boundaries, Taylor was the key man, and batted out the innings. With both teams reasonably even placed for the first dozen overs, it was when Brad Hodge came on to bowl his gentle offspin in the 15th over that Taylor turned the match in Zimbabwe's favour. 15 was scored from the over, including two massive sixes by Taylor, the longest of which went 77 metres.
With 12 runs required from the final over, Taylor played a cheeky sweep which went for 4 from the first ball. Followed by a single, a two and another single, Zimbabwe needed 4 runs from 2 balls with Taylor facing, Chigumbura at the non-strikers end. With a ball to spare, 4 leg-byes were scored, with the ball running down to fine leg. Taylor ended with 60 not out from 45 deliveries. His fine all round performance with the bat and gloves won him the man of the match award.
In June 2008, Taylor joined the Lashings World XI
based in England. This was seen as somewhat controversial due to reports of tension between Taylor and Zimbabwe Cricket Board, as a result of the board's policy of denying players to play abroad.
That knock proved something of a turning point for him, and he struck another century in the same year against Sri Lanka and proved Zimbabwe's stand-out batsman at the 2011 World Cup, with his upper-cut to third man being the lasting images of the tournament.
, Taylor was appointed captain of Zimbabwe on 24th June 2011, taking over from Chigumbura. He captained the side on their return to Test cricket, against Bangladesh, at the Harare Sports Club
on 4th August 2011. In the first innings of the match he scored 71 and during the second innings he scored 105* and he then became the second Zimbabwean to score a century in his first match as captain, Zimbabwe sealed a 130 run victory and Brendan Taylor was named man of the match for his century.
and Elton Chigumbura
to give Zimbabwe a famous win. With 310 runs in the series at an average of 310.00 and a strike rate of over 100, Taylor was adjudged the Man of the Series. He scored 50 and 117 in the one off test match.
, since 2001–02. His domestic one-day debut came for Mashonaland in 2003–04.
Overall, Taylor has scored 1116 first-class runs for Mashonaland and Mashonaland A. His domestic one-day form has not been quite as good, scoring just 109 runs from 8 innings.
tournament, for the full 2011/12 season.
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
an cricketer, who is mainly a batsman, but occasionally keeps wicket or bowls off-spin as well. He is currently the captain of the Zimbabwean cricket team, having taken over the reins from Elton Chigumbura
Elton Chigumbura
Elton Chigumbura is a Zimbabwean cricketer currently playing for English county club Northamptonshire. He is a current Zimbabwean international and former captain of the national side, who played 6 Test matches from the age of 18 before Zimbabwe were barred from Test cricket...
after the 2011 Cricket World Cup
2011 Cricket World Cup
The 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup was the tenth Cricket World Cup. It was played in India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. It was Bangladesh's first time co-hosting a World Cup...
. He is the mainstay of the Zimbabwean batting line-up and is arguably, one of the few world-class players in the Zimbabwe cricket team. In 2011, he became the first Zimbabwean batsman to hit back-to-back One-Day International
One-day International
A One Day International is a form of limited overs cricket, in which a fixed number of overs, usually 50, but in the past 40, 45 or 60 overs, are played between two teams with international status. The Cricket World Cup is played in this format...
centuries (128 not out and 107 not out), achieved against the New Zealand national cricket team in October 2011. He, as a result of his performances, was selected to play Twenty20
Twenty20
Twenty20 is a form of cricket, originally introduced in England for professional inter-county competition by the England and Wales Cricket Board , in 2003. A Twenty20 game involves two teams, each has a single innings, batting for a maximum of 20 overs. Twenty20 cricket is also known as T20 cricket...
cricket for the Wellington cricket team as an overseas player in New Zealand's HRV Twenty20 Cup.
Career
Taylor made his debut for Zimbabwe at a time when many of the country's leading players rebelled against Zimbabwe Cricket (formally known as the Zimbabwean Cricket Union) and made themselves unavailable to represent the side. Consequently, to fill the gap, many young players were prematurely brought into the team, which weakened the side, especially at Test level. Taylor was one of the youngest and most promising in this lot.Taylor was groomed by Iain Campbell, the father of Zimbabwean Test cricketer Alistair Campbell
Alistair Campbell (cricketer)
Alistair Douglas Ross Campbell is a former Zimbabwean Test cricketer. In total he played 60 matches in his Test career, captaining Zimbabwe on 21 occasions. He also played 188 One Day Internationals, being captain in 86 of them...
, at the Lilfordia primary school near Harare. During his teens, Taylor emerged as a regular choice for national age-group teams and played in two Under-19 World Cups. He made his first-class debut for Mashonaland A at the age of 15. The very next year, he shot to prominence by scoring 200 not out in the B Division of the Logan Cup. Strong domestic performances and a mass exodus of top-level players forced Taylor into the national team at the age of 18 against Sri Lanka in 2003-04.
In 2006, despite not having signed a new contract, he was selected in the national team. Soon, he took over the wicketkeeping responsibilities as well following the temporary departure of Tatenda Taibu
Tatenda Taibu
Tatenda Taibu is a Zimbabwean cricketer. He is a wicketkeeper and batsman, and can also bowl right arm off spin. On 6 May 2004, he became the youngest Test captain in history, when he captained his team against Sri Lanka....
. He shot to international prominence after his 60 not out helped Zimbabwe achieve an incredible five-wicket upset over Australia in the 2007 ICC World Twenty20.
In July/August 2007, Taylor was re-selected for the Zimbabwe Select team against South Africa A, having not been available against India A. He scored just 15 runs (2 and 13) in the second first-class match, having been overlooked for the first game. With Tatenda Taibu back in the team, Taylor was no longer needed behind the stumps.
In the ODI series against the full South Africa team, the entire Zimbabwe squad performed above themselves (including their highest ODI score against South Africa), but falling short on all 3 occasions. Taylor too had a good series, ending as the 5th highest run-scorer, with 105 runs at 35.00.
Taylor's first Twenty20 outing was vs Eagles, Sept 2006 and the second was versus Bangladesh, Dec 2006.
Defeating Bangladesh, 2006
In the 3rd ODI of the Bangladesh tour of Zimbabwe (2006), Taylor played a crucial role in a Zimbabwe win. A close game throughout, Zimbabwe required 5 runs from the final ball, effectively meaning a 6 needed to be hit to win the game. Taylor successfully hit 6 off the bowling of Mashrafe MortazaMashrafe Mortaza
Mashrafe Bin Mortaza is a Bangladeshi cricketer. He broke into the national side in late 2001 against Zimbabwe and represented Bangladesh before having played a single first-class match...
on the last ball, giving Zimbabwe the victory, and contributing to their series win.
The ICC World Cup 2007 campaign
After a relatively unsuccessful series at home against Bangladesh in February 2007, in which there were some concerns over his commitment to the team, he was still selected for the 15 man squad to tour to the West Indies for the World Cup. With over 60 ODIs under his belt, he is the team's most experienced player.After a decent World Cup campaign, including 87 runs from 3 matches at an average of 29.00 (including a half-century; 50), Taylor went to play club cricket in Holland, despite a ruling by the Zimbabwe Cricket board that any player leaving the country to play club cricket would be overlooked for selection.
Defeating Australia, 2007
In to the action early, Taylor caught Matthew Hayden off the bowling of Chigumbura. Taylor was also involved in a first class stumping, which saw Andrew Symonds depart. Taylor also made a crucial run out, with only one stump to aim at, to dismiss Mitchell Johnson.With Zimbabwe restricting Australia to just 138, by Twenty20 standards a poor score, Taylor also opened their innings. While Vusi Sibanda got the ball rolling with several quick boundaries, Taylor was the key man, and batted out the innings. With both teams reasonably even placed for the first dozen overs, it was when Brad Hodge came on to bowl his gentle offspin in the 15th over that Taylor turned the match in Zimbabwe's favour. 15 was scored from the over, including two massive sixes by Taylor, the longest of which went 77 metres.
With 12 runs required from the final over, Taylor played a cheeky sweep which went for 4 from the first ball. Followed by a single, a two and another single, Zimbabwe needed 4 runs from 2 balls with Taylor facing, Chigumbura at the non-strikers end. With a ball to spare, 4 leg-byes were scored, with the ball running down to fine leg. Taylor ended with 60 not out from 45 deliveries. His fine all round performance with the bat and gloves won him the man of the match award.
In June 2008, Taylor joined the Lashings World XI
Lashings World XI
The Lashings World XI is a famous cricket team, founded by David Folb. It was originally formed in 1984 as a scratch team, and grew from an unremarkable English local club cricket team into, as it bills itself, the "World’s greatest cricket club"....
based in England. This was seen as somewhat controversial due to reports of tension between Taylor and Zimbabwe Cricket Board, as a result of the board's policy of denying players to play abroad.
Against South Africa, 2010
Brendan Taylor scored 145* against the South African cricket team he carried his bat throughout the ODI innings and became only the ninth person to do so. South Africa scored 351/6 and Taylor scored 145 of 136 delieveries as Zimbabwe managed 287/6, yet again performing well with the bat but poorly with the ballThat knock proved something of a turning point for him, and he struck another century in the same year against Sri Lanka and proved Zimbabwe's stand-out batsman at the 2011 World Cup, with his upper-cut to third man being the lasting images of the tournament.
Return to Test cricket, 2011
Following poor performances in the 2011 Cricket World Cup2011 Cricket World Cup
The 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup was the tenth Cricket World Cup. It was played in India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. It was Bangladesh's first time co-hosting a World Cup...
, Taylor was appointed captain of Zimbabwe on 24th June 2011, taking over from Chigumbura. He captained the side on their return to Test cricket, against Bangladesh, at the Harare Sports Club
Harare Sports Club
Harare Sports Club is a cricket ground in Harare, Zimbabwe. Initially known as Salisbury Sports Club, Harare Sports Club has served as the primary cricket venue in Rhodesia and Zimbabwe since its inception. The ground became a Test venue in October 1992 when Zimbabwe played their inaugural Test,...
on 4th August 2011. In the first innings of the match he scored 71 and during the second innings he scored 105* and he then became the second Zimbabwean to score a century in his first match as captain, Zimbabwe sealed a 130 run victory and Brendan Taylor was named man of the match for his century.
New Zealand Series, 2011
In the ODI series of New Zealand's tour to Zimbabwe, Taylor unleashed his best form till date. In the 1st ODI, he scored 128* rescuing Zimbabwe from a precariuos position to a respectable 231. In the next match, he scored another century (107*) leading the charge from the front again and in the process, becoming the first ever Zimbabwean batsman to score back-to-back ODI tons. However, he did not receive any support from the other batsmen and despite his tons, Zimbabwe lost both the games. In the final ODI, chasing a sizable 329 to win, Taylor set the tone of the chase with a brisk 75 off 65 balls, which enabled Malcolm WallerMalcolm Waller
Malcolm Noel Waller is a Zimbabwean cricketer. He is a middle-order batsman and off-spinner.- Career :Following his first-class debut in the Logan Cup in April 2008, he was called up to the national team for a tour of Bangladesh, where he made his international debut in a One Day International on...
and Elton Chigumbura
Elton Chigumbura
Elton Chigumbura is a Zimbabwean cricketer currently playing for English county club Northamptonshire. He is a current Zimbabwean international and former captain of the national side, who played 6 Test matches from the age of 18 before Zimbabwe were barred from Test cricket...
to give Zimbabwe a famous win. With 310 runs in the series at an average of 310.00 and a strike rate of over 100, Taylor was adjudged the Man of the Series. He scored 50 and 117 in the one off test match.
Test career
In the Test arena, Taylor's performances have been somewhat below what one would expect of a player at Test level. However, this can be attributed to his young age and premature elevation to the national team. However, since Zimbabwe's return to the Test circuit, Taylor has shown remarkable maturity, both as the side's leading batsman and captain. Although Taylor is basically a top-order batsman, he has been in the past been successful as a part-time off-break bowler. Until recently, he was Zimbabwe's first choice wicketkeeper, but gave up the wicketkeeping gloves after the return of Taibu behind the stumps.Domestic career
Taylor has been playing in Zimbabwe's domestic first-class competition, the Logan CupLogan Cup
The Logan Cup is the premier domestic first-class cricket competition in Zimbabwe. The current champions are the Matabeleland Tusker.-History:...
, since 2001–02. His domestic one-day debut came for Mashonaland in 2003–04.
Overall, Taylor has scored 1116 first-class runs for Mashonaland and Mashonaland A. His domestic one-day form has not been quite as good, scoring just 109 runs from 8 innings.
HRV Twenty20 Cup
As a result of his performances internationally and sound captaincy, he was given a contract as an overseas player in the Wellington cricket team and will play in the HRV Twenty20 Cupp, New Zealand's main domestic Twenty20Twenty20
Twenty20 is a form of cricket, originally introduced in England for professional inter-county competition by the England and Wales Cricket Board , in 2003. A Twenty20 game involves two teams, each has a single innings, batting for a maximum of 20 overs. Twenty20 cricket is also known as T20 cricket...
tournament, for the full 2011/12 season.
Awards
- In 2011, as a result of his fine performances, he was named the cricketer of the year and the batsman of the year.