Cricket Special Report: Brendon Taylor, the best batsman in the Zimbabwean team
Recently, Zimbabwe cricket team hasn’t got much to cheer about, regarding their performances in One day international and T20 matches. Although, they lost the Tri-series final in their own backyard in June 2010, involving top notch teams, Sri Lanka and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750.
Mainly, they emerge victorious due to some excellent individual performances, either with the bat or with the ball.
Zimbabwean team is a pool of really skilled individuals, but they lack consistent team effort. It can be due to the lack of their ability to play as a unit. Most of the times, they are unable to assess the conditions and situations due to improper cricket
knowledge. Sometimes, their inability to read bowlers and pitch conditions displays how they apply themselves on a given day. Therefore, they only rely on belligerent individual displays that sail them to victory, but for once in a blue moon. Sometimes, a
team can win a match relying on some individuals, but most of the times you will lose because consistency in winning matches requires complete team effort. One of the key performers for Zimbabwe has been their top quality batsman, none other than Brendon
Taylor.
Brendon Taylor is the best batsman in the current Zimbabwean squad. Adding to this, Taylor can play a sheet anchors role, and he has an uncanny ability to bring life his game and devastate the opposition, imposing his attacking display with the bat. For
a start, he was a middle order batsman when he made his debut against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758 in 2004, at a very young age of 18. To everyone’s surprise, Taylor, with his blatant style of play, has played some breathtaking and crucial innings. As a result, due to his ability
to prosper in pressure situations, and his bat blazing the opponent’s bowlers, he is now given the responsibility to open the innings.
The aggressive right hander is strong in front of the pitch. His lofted cover drive is an absolute delight to watch and can be tipped as his trademark shot. Add to this, sluggish foot-work has brought his downfall many times, but most recently; he has worked
hard on his deficient foot-work. In doing so, he has played the spinners consistently well.
Furthermore, Taylor has the best batting average, considering the current crop of Zimbabwe batsmen. His overall record in the shorter version of the game will vindicate his talent with the bat. In all, he has gathered 2990 runs at an average of 32 with a
best of 119 runs in 105 matches. The Zimbabwean’s tally of runs includes 2 centuries.
In T20 internationals, the right handed blazer has played 9 matches, scoring 224 runs at an impressive average of 32, including a best of 60runs.
One of Taylor’s and his team’s most memorable performance came against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746, the best team of his era, in 2007’s edition of ICC World T20. At Cape Town, on a pitch that is offering enough assistance to trouble the batsman, Kangaroos after winning the
toss elected to bat first. As a result, Zimbabweans mean and discipline bowling ensured a modest target of 139 runs for their batsmen. Resultantly, the minnows chased down a stiff score of 139 runs in the penultimate ball with five wickets in hand. In doing
so, Taylor produced a match winning effort of unbeaten 60 runs to shock the Aussies.
Another one of his notable performances came in August 2006 against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Bangladesh-c747 at Harare in the 3rd ODI. Zimbabwe needed 237 runs to win the match. In pursuit, they crumble and Taylor carries them near to the target. In the end, they need 17 runs
of the last over with two wicket in hand, guess what, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Taylor-c92915 smashes the Bangladeshi’s to defeat by hitting 6 runs of the last ball.
His batting has come of age in the last couple of years as he has been the backbone of his batting line-up. If http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Zimbabwe-c3045 wants their Test status back, then Taylor remains a vital cog.
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