Brendan Taylor facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Brendan Taylor

Taylor playing for Nottinghamshire in 2015
Personal information
Full name	Brendan Ross Murray Taylor
Born	(1986-02-06) 6 February 1986 (age 39) Harare, Zimbabwe
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Right-arm off break
Role	Wicket-keeper batsman
International information
National side	Zimbabwe (2004–2021)
Test debut (cap 64)	6 May 2004 v Sri Lanka
Last Test	7 July 2021 v Bangladesh
ODI debut (cap 80)	20 April 2004 v Sri Lanka
Last ODI	13 September 2021 v Ireland
ODI shirt no.	1
T20I debut (cap 9)	28 November 2006 v Bangladesh
Last T20I	25 April 2021 v Pakistan
T20I shirt no.	1
Domestic team information
Years	Team
2002/03–2005/05	Mashonaland
2007/08–2008/09	Northerns
2009/10–2020/21	Mid West Rhinos
2011/12	Wellington
2012–2013	Chittagong Kings
2013	Prime Bank Cricket Club
2015–2017	Nottinghamshire
2019	Khulna Titans
2019	Lahore Qalandars
2020	Kandy Tuskers
Career statistics
Competition Test ODI T20I FC Matches 34 202 45 136 Runs scored 2,320 6,628 934 9,571 Batting average 36.25 35.63 23.94 40.72 100s/50s 6/12 11/39 0/6 32/36 Top score 171 145* 75* 217 Balls bowled 42 396 30 384 Wickets 0 9 1 4 Bowling average – 45.11 17.00 56.25 5 wickets in innings – 0 0 0 10 wickets in match – 0 0 0 Best bowling – 3/54 2/36 2/36 Catches/stumpings 30/0 132/29 20/2 148/4
Source: ESPNcricinfo, 13 September 2021

Brendan Ross Murray Taylor (born 6 February 1986) is a former international cricket player from Zimbabwe. He used to be the captain of the Zimbabwean team and played in all types of cricket games. Taylor is a right-handed batsman and can also bowl a bit of off-spin.

Many people thought Taylor was Zimbabwe's best player for many years. He was known for his special shots, like hitting the ball over the third man area. His playing style was often compared to another great Zimbabwean player, Andy Flower. Taylor played for Zimbabwe in four ICC T20 World Cups and three ICC ODI World Cups.

He led the Zimbabwe in One Day International (ODI) matches until the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup. He was the first Zimbabwean batsman to score two centuries in a row in ODIs. This happened against New Zealand in 2011 and again at the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup. He also set a new record for Zimbabwe by scoring 433 runs in the 2015 World Cup. His 11 centuries in ODIs are also a record for Zimbabwe.

Taylor left his national team after the 2015 World Cup. But on 14 September 2017, he decided to come back and play for Zimbabwe again. In November 2018, he became the first Zimbabwean batsman to score a century in both innings of a Test match twice. In October 2020, he scored his 17th century in international cricket, becoming the Zimbabwean player with the most centuries across all game types. Many see him as one of Zimbabwe's best batsmen in recent times. He played his 200th ODI match in July 2021. In September 2021, Taylor announced he would stop playing international cricket after his last match against Ireland.

Brendan Taylor's Cricket Journey

Starting Out in Cricket

Brendan Taylor learned to play cricket at Lilfordia School near Harare. When he was a teenager, he played for national youth teams and took part in two Under-19 World Cups. He played his first big cricket match for Mashonaland A when he was just 15. The next year, he scored an amazing 200 runs without being out in a local tournament.

Because he played so well and many older players left the team, Taylor joined the national team at 18. He played his first ODI and international match against Sri Lanka on 20 April 2004. He also made his Test debut a month later against Sri Lanka.

Taylor joined the Zimbabwe team when many top players were not available. This meant young players like him had to step up quickly. In 2006, he started taking over the wicketkeeping duties. He became well-known after scoring 60 runs not out, which helped Zimbabwe beat Australia in the 2007 ICC World Twenty20.

Big Wins and Key Moments

In July–August 2007, Taylor played well against South Africa A. He also had a good series against the main South Africa team, scoring 105 runs. His first Twenty20 games were in 2006.

Beating Bangladesh in 2006

In an ODI against Bangladesh in 2006, Taylor helped Zimbabwe win a very close game. Zimbabwe needed five runs from the last ball. Taylor hit a six, winning the game for his team. He scored 79 runs not out and was named man of the match.

The 2007 World Cup

After playing in the 2007 Cricket World Cup, where he scored 87 runs, Taylor went to play club cricket in the Netherlands.

Victory Against Australia in 2007

Taylor played a big part in Zimbabwe's win against Australia in 2007. He caught a player, stumped another, and made a crucial run out. Australia only scored 138 runs. Taylor then opened the batting for Zimbabwe. He scored 60 runs not out from 45 balls, hitting two big sixes. Zimbabwe won the game with a ball to spare. Taylor was named man of the match for his great performance.

In June 2008, Taylor joined the Lashings World XI team in England.

Playing Against South Africa in 2010

Brendan Taylor scored 145 runs not out against South Africa in 2010. He was the only player to bat through the entire innings for his team. This game was a turning point for him. He scored another century against Sri Lanka that year and was Zimbabwe's best batsman at the 2011 World Cup.

2011 World Cup Journey

He was part of the team for the 2011 Cricket World Cup. He was the third-highest run-scorer for Zimbabwe with 170 runs. He scored 80 runs against Sri Lanka and shared a 116-run partnership with Regis Chakabva. This was Zimbabwe's highest opening partnership in a World Cup match.

Becoming Test Captain in 2011

After the 2011 World Cup, Taylor became the captain of Zimbabwe on 24 June 2011. He led the team when they returned to Test cricket against Bangladesh in August 2011. In that match, he scored 71 runs and then 105 runs not out. He became the second Zimbabwean captain to score a century in his first match as captain. Zimbabwe won the match, and Taylor was named man of the match.

New Zealand Series in 2011

In the ODI series against New Zealand in 2011, Taylor played his best cricket. He scored 128 runs not out in the first match and 107 runs not out in the next. This made him the first Zimbabwean to score two ODI centuries in a row. He scored 310 runs in the series, earning him the Man of the Series award. He also scored 50 and 117 in the one-off Test match. Taylor was named cricketer of the year and batsman of the year in 2011.

Playing Against West Indies and Bangladesh in 2013

Taylor did not score many runs in the Test and ODI series against the West Indies in 2013. However, he played much better at home against Bangladesh in April 2013. He scored 171 runs in the first Test, helping Zimbabwe draw the series. He also scored two centuries in the same Test match, becoming the third Zimbabwean to do so.

He led Zimbabwe to a 2–1 victory in the ODI series against Bangladesh. He also helped Zimbabwe draw the T20 series 1–1.

The 2015 Cricket World Cup

In the 2015 Cricket World Cup, Taylor scored two centuries in a row. This made him the only Zimbabwean to do this in a World Cup. He scored 121 runs against Ireland. Before his last group game against India, Taylor decided to retire from One Day Internationals at age 29. In his final match, he scored 138 runs. Both his team and the Indian team congratulated him. A famous commentator, Sunil Gavaskar, called Taylor's 138-run innings one of the best he had ever seen.

Taylor was Zimbabwe's top run-scorer in the 2015 World Cup, with 433 runs. He was also the fourth-highest run-scorer overall in the tournament. He became the first Zimbabwean to score 400 or more runs in a single World Cup. He also made two record partnerships in the tournament: 93 runs with Sean Williams against India and 149 runs with Sean Williams against Ireland.

Taylor signed with Nottinghamshire for the 2015 English cricket season.

Test Cricket Achievements

Taylor's Test performances improved greatly after Zimbabwe returned to Test cricket. He showed great skill as a batsman and captain. He scored two Test centuries. When he scored a century in the fourth innings of a Test match against New Zealand, he became the second Zimbabwean to do so. Taylor said his team would continue to play aggressive Test cricket, which was praised by many.

Taylor was mainly a top-order batsman. He also sometimes bowled off-break. He used to be Zimbabwe's main wicketkeeper but stopped after Tatenda Taibu returned. After Taibu retired in July 2012, Taylor sometimes kept wicket in ODIs and T20s but not in Tests.

Coming Back to International Cricket in 2017

On 14 September 2017, Taylor left his contract with Nottinghamshire to return to Zimbabwe for family reasons. This meant he could play for Zimbabwe again. In October 2017, he joined Zimbabwe's Test squad for a series against the West Indies. He scored one fifty in four innings.

In November 2018, during a Test match against Bangladesh, he scored two centuries in the same game. He became the first Zimbabwean batsman to score a century in each innings of a Test match on two different occasions. He was also the top run-scorer in the 2018 Cricket World Cup Qualifier with 457 runs.

Playing for Clubs and T20 Teams

Taylor has played in Zimbabwe's local first-class competition, the Logan Cup, since 2002. He also played his first local one-day match in December 2003.

He is known as a very reliable batsman in local cricket. In 68 first-class matches, he has scored 4,719 runs, with a highest score of 217. In List A cricket, he has scored 5,528 runs in 184 matches. In Twenty20 cricket, he has 1,307 runs in 47 matches.

Brendan Taylor was a star player in the 2007–08 Metropolitan Bank Twenty20 tournament. He scored 85 runs not out in one match and 63 runs not out in another. He was the second-highest run-scorer in the tournament.

In the 2011–12 Stanbic Bank 20 Series, Taylor led his team, Mid West Rhinos, to victory. He scored 75 runs in a match where his team chased a big score.

In December 2011, Taylor signed to play for Wellington in New Zealand's HRV Twenty20 Cup. He was Wellington's highest scorer with 207 runs.

In 2013, Taylor played for the Chittagong Kings team. He became the captain and led the team on a four-game winning streak. He was one of the top scorers in the league. The Kings reached the final, but Taylor had to return home due to illness.

On 13 March 2015, Taylor signed a three-year contract with Nottinghamshire.

In October 2018, he was chosen to play for the Khulna Titans team. In December 2020, he was selected to play for the Rhinos in the 2020–21 Logan Cup.

Images for kids

• 

  Brendan Taylor playing for Nottinghamshire in 2015