The unsung hero of modern cricket

In cricket there are stars whose brightness remains unnoticed as they don’t have a big media or the kind of facilities or madness in their own country to attract the critics or cricket fans. They shine alongside the modern day wonders of cricket but sadly they always remain hidden and unrecognized as the unsung heroes.

These stars representing the lower ranked countries in the ICC ranking tables are the unsung heroes of cricket. They too have the qualities and the X-factor to bear the tag of a superstar or legend. But sadly, they don’t get their due credits despite their heroic exhibitions and thus remain as the unsung heroes of cricket.

Brendan Taylor is such an unsung hero.

Since his introduction to international cricket, Taylor’s advancement has been steadier. And during his younger days he had already proved himself as the life saver for the Zimbabwean team. In August 2006 he smoked 17 runs from the last over of a run chase - including a six to win off the last ball when five were needed - to give Zimbabwe a 2-1 lead in the ODI series against Bangladesh. Taylor shot to prominence at Cape Town on September 12, 2007, when his cool and composed 60 not out carried Zimbabwe to an incredible five-wicket win over Australia in the ICC World Twenty20.

Brendan Taylor was nurtured by Iain Campbell, the father of Alistair Campbell, at the well-known Lilfordia primary school near Harare. He was a regular choice for national age-group teams and played in two Under-19 World Cups. He made his first-class debut for Mashonaland A at the age of 15; the following year he scored 200 not out in the B Division of the Logan Cup.

Taylor was picked for the national side despite not signing a new contract at the start of 2006, and despite an earlier suspension for disciplinary reasons. With the temporary departure of Tatenda Taibu, he took over the wicket-keeping gloves in the West Indies; he has kept wicket regularly since primary school.

Brendan Taylor is an aggressive stroke maker and has the abilities to build an innings from any sort of ruts but developed a penchant for being dismissed while trying to play too aggressively.

While at the crease, Taylor will always be the dominant figure and will dominate the proceedings with immense willpower and guts to blunt the best attacks in the world. His favourite stroke is the full-blooded front foot drive which lacks art but more power, yet his pulls and cuts, especially the uppercuts are brutal and ruthless.

The political turmoil in Zimbabwe let their cricket board to take a break from Test cricket for almost 5 years. They could only play the limited over versions and even on this limited opportunities, Taylor was seen shining. He had been the star for Zimbabwe in the recently concluded ICC World Cup for the 50 over format.

Zimbabwe returned to Test cricket this year and Taylor was being made captain and immediately under his leadership the Zimbabweans made an immediate impact by stunning the Bengal Tigers with series wins both in Test and ODI series. Captaincy has galvanized Taylor into a more responsible batsman. The aggression is still there but it’s more controlled and well measured. At the start of his career his foot-work wasn’t astute but in course of time he has made it even better.

After being made captain, his batting prowess’s improved immensely. Against Bangladesh in the Test match he scored a 71 and 105 not out. His bat failed against the Bangladeshi new ball bowlers, except a hundred in the fourth ODI for a losing cause and was short worked by Saeed Ajmal in the Test series but in the ODI series against Pakistan, his inspiring 84 in the first ODI almost took Zimbabwe in the brink of victory but fell short by just five runs, in the second ODI he again scored a fifty. But the Pakistanis proved too strong and thus won the ODI and Test match with the rubber remaining un-stretched. 

Against New Zealand, Brendan Taylor had been astonishing. In the three match ODI series against New Zealand this year, Taylor had scored 310 runs at a staggering average of 310.00 with a strike arte of 106.89. In the third ODI at Bulawayo, his aggressive 75 off 65 balls that set the tempo to chase down an impossible 329. In the one-off Test match against New Zealand, Taylor’s bat again shone with a 50 and 117. His dazzling knock of 117 in the Bulawayo test match almost helped Zimbabwe to script one of the daring chases in the history of Test cricket. But sadly, it just didn’t happen.

As a captain, Taylor is as aggressive as his batting and always lead from the front and doesn’t wait for the things to happen but love to make plans and make things happen for his team even with limited resources.

Just imagine Brendan Taylor playing for India. He would certainly be made as the superstar and surely a household name in India. But sadly, he represents the minnows of world cricket. Sadly, cricket madness isn’t present in Zimbabwe. And for which we just remember an unsung hero like Brendan Taylor rarely. His name doesn’t come automatically when we talk about powerful batsmen in cricket.

Cruel world this as like Brendan Taylor, there had been many cricketers in the history of world cricket who sparkled as bright as the superstars of the top ranked nations but due to limited opportunities and facilities they just never get the due respect. Many superstars of modern day cricket are not even match winners but still we all hail them but just forget to give the unsung heroes the reorganization even after their outstanding abilities of winning matches from the most hopeless situations. 

Brendan Taylor is a cricketer who makes a substantive, yet unrecognized contribution; a person whose bravery is unknown or unacknowledged, the unsung hero of modern day cricket.

Thank You

Faisal Caesar