1 62 not out
T20 torment for Taylor
Ross Taylor finds himself in a situation he’s forced others into during his long and successful international career.
He can’t charge his way through a field of in-form batsmen for Friday’s T20 international against South Africa at Eden Park.
Cut through all the winding paths that lead off the main track on the imbroglio over why Taylor isn’t walking out to the middle on Friday night. Down the years there have been other players yearning for a chance to play for New Zealand, good players. In their way has been an outstanding runmaker, one of the country’s finest. The door was effectively shut in the spot Taylor made his own for nigh on 10 years.
He still remains among the first names written down for the ODI and test teams, has found a new lease on batting since his eye surgery to remove a pterygium in early December and is now, boom boom, seeing the ball superbly.
There was a lovely moment at soggy Eden Park yesterday as New Zealand coach Mike Hesson was being grilled for seven long minutes as to why Taylor wasn’t in the T20 side.
Midway through, who should walk out of the dressing room, padded up for a net at the indoor centre, but the man himself.
Taylor grinned as he strode by. You think he had an inkling what the topic du jour might have been? Too right he did. Taylor’s route has been blocked by Colin Munro, Corey Anderson and Tom Bruce, all with rapid, substantial runs against Bangladesh in the T20 series in Mt Maunganui last month for which Taylor was omitted.
Hesson argues they are the form trio in and either side of Taylor’s place in the order, and must be backed.
Taylor’s corner would respond with his Super Smash performances after his eye surgery for Central Districts — 82 not out off 41 balls against Canterbury; 80 off 50 against Canterbury, albeit both on the Pukekura Park postage stamp.
Hesson won’t rule out a T20 return for Taylor, but there’s a problem in that although New Zealand are No 1 in that format, they don’t play many matches. The next probably won’t be until the end of the year, he said.
Hesson yesterday refuted the idea, suggested by Taylor in an interview with Martin Devlin on Radio Sport earlier in the day, that he’d had no indication of where he stood from selectors Hesson and Gavin Larsen.
Taylor said he had received no verbal or written information on what he needed to do to win back his spot.
For the South African match “he [Hesson] just said I’m not in the team so he hasn’t really said anything else”.
Hesson hit back: “Following the Bangladesh selection [when Taylor was omitted for the three-game series last month] Gavin and I talked to him at length. There’s certainly been some communication. We communicate every day.
“Like every player they want to know how to get back in. That’s quite natural.”
Selection cuts both ways, he added — inclusion and exclusion.
Taylor has played 73 T20s and wants more.
“We know Ross is a quality player, we know he’s keen to play T20 cricket but at the moment we have a side playing pretty well,” Hesson added.