Ross Taylor talks COVID-19, family and fanless CPL

100 T20s and many more to go…

By Jemima Holmes

In the sensational world of Twenty20 cricket, there are just a few players who have reached the milestone of playing over 100 T20 international games. Evidently, with 100 games played, comes vast experience in the game, especially in this fast-paced format. At the top of the 100 club list is Pakistan’s Shoaib Malik with 113 games, followed by India’s Rohit Sharma with 108 games.

In February of this year, the newest addition to the Guyana Amazon Warriors’ batting lineup, Ross Taylor reached his 100 mark. In the exclusive club, Taylor is trailed by the likes of Shahid Afridi, MS Dhoni, Kevin O’Brien and Mohammed Hafeez. Taylor is also in a class of his own, being the only player to feature in 100 games across all cricket formats.
The names alone speak for themselves, making Taylor with a T20 average of 31.48 and a 111* high score, one of the most sought after talents in T20 franchise cricket. With appearances for Delhi Daredevils, Pune Warriors, Rajasthan Royals, and the Royal Challengers Bangalore under his belt in the Indian Premier League; there is no question as to why the Caribbean Premier League teams keep adding Taylor to their batting ammunition. The Trinbago Red Steel, Jamaica Tallawahs and St Lucia Zouks have all had the pleasure of having Taylor as part of their teams and this time around, he will be “repping” the Warriors.

“When you come into a new team, you try and fit in as easy and as quick as possible but they’ve made me feel very welcome and as soon as you come into the team you can tell that there’s a very family-oriented atmosphere and all the guys get on very well,” Taylor told the Sunday Times Magazine during an exclusive interview.
Continuing on the topic of comradery in the Guyana Amazon Warriors (GAW), Taylor posited that it will transfer effectively when the team takes to the field for the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2020 season.
CPL 2020 will be played behind closed doors with no fans present for the “biggest party in sport”. This is all due to the coronavirus pandemic that has proved to be a deadly disease. Taylor, a father of three, is often seen doting on his children on and off the cricket field. With the global pandemic, it’s impossible to have his family around.
“As an international cricketer, you get used to not having your family, especially away from home. You know when you go to the sub-continent you do very long tours. But the older the kids get, the harder it becomes,” Taylor shared when asked about being away from his family during the pandemic.
“But this COVID-19 is obviously being very strange and everyone is having to deal with it and learn along the way. You know we’ve got a few new cases in New Zealand at the moment, just like the whole world is a bit of a waiting game and hopefully, we don’t have to wait too long,” the New Zealander went on to share.
On the topic of empty stands and no cheering fans, Taylor described the new cricket stipulations as “strange”. Taylor has already had a taste of what the closed-door competition would be like, having played for New Zealand in a One Day International against Australia back in March. However, the ODI series was cut short. Nonetheless, Taylor shared what the brief series was like without fans.
“Yeah it was definitely strange and I’m sure if you ask most cricketers playing in front of a crowd makes it more enjoyable and it gets you up for game, so that’s going to be different for a lot of guys who need the motivation. I think this is going to be around for a while and it’s something we need to get used to.”
Amongst the things Taylor will miss during the CPL this year is the party atmosphere, the ecstatic announcers and boisterous fans. He stated: “It’s something that we need to get used to very quickly and I’m sure our team and other teams will get used to it.”
Since March, the right hand, middle-order batsman hasn’t played any professional cricket, the longest he has gone since his youth days.
“I think it’s been very good for your mind, physically probably takes a bit longer to get into it. But I think I’m just excited to get into cricket without playing cricket for such a long time. I guess the experience and playing for a new team is really going to add to that. Hopefully, the team can get off to a good start and we can have a good CPL,” he explained.
However, what will shroud the cricket drought for the 36-year-old, is being a part of a dynamic team like the Warriors, and more so any other franchise in the CPL.
“I really enjoyed it. There’s always a great team vibe in whatever team you’re playing for and the Guyana Warriors team is no different.”
The Warriors boasts a wealth of talent, with some of the most explosive young talents from Guyana and around the Caribbean. Taylor has paid close attention to this fact and as such, is looking forward to playing alongside his new Warriors teammates.
“You know, there’s some exciting players that I’m looking forward to seeing first hand, and being at the other end and as you get older in your career, you hope to pass on a bit of knowledge at the same time,” he said.
The batsman went on to share with this publication, some of the youngsters that he is enthusiastic about batting alongside, boasting about the quality of the Warriors’ lineup. He even expressed hopes of the group getting more opportunities to showcase their talents on the international stage.
“The batting lineup all the way through is fantastic, you know King, Hetmyer, Pooran, Rutherford, they’re all fantastic players and exciting talents, not only in this competition but in the world as well. And that showcases when they got opportunities and some of them obviously just limited opportunity for the West Indies. But I’m sure, but the one who got the experience at IPL and the experience that a lot of guys will get in years to come, bodes well for West Indies cricket.”
While Taylor will not captain the Warriors side, he will still play a role in sharing his vast experience with the predominantly young team. He also expressed confidence in the choices for captain and vice captain that was made, noting that he is looking forward to working with them.
On this point he stated, “I think there’s just so many different situations in the game of cricket and so many different ways of dealing with it. Not only is passing on how to deal with situations but talking through the situations. But as I said, regardless of how much experience, you’re always learning and I look forward to learning off them as well.”
Furthermore, the batsman is not at all worried about the absence of fans to get him into the T20 mood. He shared that the thought of millions of viewers tuning in will be enough for him.
“With no one in the crowd you’ve still got to realise that there’s millions of people watching on TV and I think once you get your head around that it’s no different. It’s probably like playing a first-class game, they’re probably not that many people there.”
He went on to state, “Your own standards become important and hopefully you can contribute to a team performance at the end of the day.”
For those fans who have kept track of Taylor’s career over the years, it is expected that the experienced New Zealander will fill the gap of Shoaib Malik, who is not with the Warriors this year. Like the rest of the Guyana Amazon Warriors team, Taylor hopes to make a meaningful enough contribution to get the Warriors over the line.
“But to fall at the last one, but you know hopefully we can go one step further this year and win that trophy.”