Senior statesman Taylor-made as T20 finisher Ferguson out of tour
Eight years ago Ross Taylor lit up Pallekele International Cricket Stadium with a display of batting pyrotechnics that even left his team-mates stunned.
Pakistan were on the receiving end that day at the 2011 World Cup. Taylor clouted seven sixes in his unbeaten 131 off 124 balls which led to a comfortable New Zealand victory.
Back at the same ground yesterday, at a venerable (in cricketing terms) 35, Taylor wound back the clock in a shorter but similarly effective batting onslaught. Sri Lanka copped it this time before a roaring full house; Taylor’s knock of 48 off 29 balls enough for man of the match and a five-wicket Black Caps victory in the Twenty20 series opener in Kandy.
Unwanted for 21 months after the 2016 T20 World Cup, Taylor’s international career in the shortest format appeared over. New Zealand will be without fast bowler Lockie Ferguson for the Twenty20 international cricket series against Sri Lanka after he suffered a tour-ending fractured thumb.
One of the Black Caps’ best at the Cricket World Cup, Ferguson
Recalled, and fortified to show he still had something to offer, the senior statesman found his niche at No 5 and will be one of New Zealand’s key men at next year’s world tournament in Australia.
‘‘It’s nice to know what your role is. We’ve got a lot of young and exciting players and I suppose they need a bit of experience at the other end to talk them through it,’’ Taylor said.
This was Taylor’s fifth T20 international of 2019 as focus shifts from 50-over cricket. In those five innings against Sri Lanka and India, Taylor averaged 40 at a strike rate of 130, unfurling the favourite slog sweep with fast suffered the injury at fielding practice on the eve of the series opener at Kandy.
An X-ray revealed a small fracture to the middle joint of his right thumb, which has an expected recovery time of four to six weeks.
hands and brutal power.
With Kane Williamson rested and domestic T20 batsman of the season Tom Bruce not picked, the top-five makeup was intriguing as they chased 175 to win.
Colin Munro, Martin Guptill and Tim Seifert all departed cheaply and with Colin de Grandhomme pushed up to No 4 the power hitting duo were together at a tenuous 39-3.
De Grandhomme (44 off 28) helped Taylor blast 79 off 39 balls for the fourth wicket, and when de Grandhomme played across a Lasith Malinga full toss the Black Caps needed 57 off 39.
Malinga was the main threat, having moved past Shahid Afridi’s record of 98 T20 international wickets, but with the slippery ball he lost some control. Hamilton mates Daryl Mitchell and Mitchell Santner stayed calm to add the icing and get home with three balls to spare.
De Grandhomme looks worth persevering with at four, which will raise the tricky question of where Williamson fits into the T20 top order when he returns for England in November. Guptill may find his spot under threat if his lean trot continues.
The next game is back in Kandy, tomorrow (1.30am NZ time), where stand-in captain Tim Southee will chase his fifth victory from as many T20 internationals at the helm.
‘‘We were lucky a couple of old heads got together with the bat and the way Daryl finished it off was outstanding for a young guy who’s only played a handful of matches. It’s pleasing, although we weren’t at our best it’s nice to still be able to win games of cricket like that,’’ Southee said.