LATHAM BACKS UNDER FIRE TAYLOR
Ranchi, Oct. 25: New Zealand opener Tom Latham on Tuesday backed underfire batsman Ross Taylor, who is battling poor form in the ongoing tour of India and and has also faced criticism from former captain Brendon McCullum. In his autobiography Declared, McCullum derided Taylor for being uninspiring during his captaincy and someone who failed to communicate with the team. “We haven’t seen anything about that at the moment,” Latham said when asked whether the book Declared has affected Taylor off the field.
Taylor has been a shadow of his past with three ducks from six matches on the tour which included three Tests, and the veteran’s sloppy fielding has left New Zealand searching for answers.
Latham, however, was confident that Taylor who has returned among runs will contribute to the team as they get ready for the final two one-dayers. “He’s got a lot of experience and in the group also, there are many with lots of experience and some guys who haven’t played much. Hopefully if we put right team performance together and play our best cricket, I certainly know we will go a long way. I suppose it was nice for Ross to spend a little bit of time in the middle,” said Latham.