Zimbabwean cricketer in focus: Brendan Taylor - The special talent from Harare

Circa 2003-04: Zimbabwe cricket was in shambles. Lamenting the “death of democracy”, senior players Andy Flower and Henry Olonga staged their “black armband protest” during the 2003 World Cup, retiring from international cricket shortly after.

Captain Heath Streak’s removal from the side triggered a player revolt, with a majority of the remaining senior players quitting en masse in 2004. The result – a young and inexperienced side was sent on tough tours of Sri Lanka and Australia.

That squad was mercilessly pummelled by the cricketing heavyweights. But it also brought about the emergence of a raw 18-year-old talent who would go on to become the mainstay of the line-up in a very short period.

His name? Brendan Ross Murray Taylor – current captain of the Zimbabwean ODI and Test squads.

Born in Harare on February 6, 1986, the young man was nurtured in cricket by Iain Campbell, father of former captain and current chief selector Alistair Campbell at the Lilfordia primary school.

Having shown a natural aptitude for the game, the teenage Taylor was a regular choice for his school cricket team and also played in two U-19 World Cup tournaments. At 15, he made his first-class debut for Mashonaland A , and in the following year, he blasted an unbeaten 200 in the B Division of the Logan Cup.

This knock brought him to prominence, and he followed it up with many strong performances in the domestic season. At the age of 18, after the mass exodus of senior players, Taylor was fast-tracked into the national squad; he was considered one of the most promising lads in that youthful but inexperienced side. Their first outing was a series against Sri Lanka in 2003-04, where they were walloped by the former World Cup winners.

In 2006, at the age of 20, Taylor was once again selected into the national team despite an earlier suspension for disciplinary reasons and not having signed a contract with the cricket board. After Tatenda Taibu left the squad for a brief period, Taylor donned the wicket-keeping gloves, having had experience behind the stumps since primary school.

In August 2006, Bangladesh toured Zimbabwe, playing an ODI series. In the third match, with the series tied at 1-1, Zimbabwe needed 5 runs to win off the last ball, and Taylor was on strike. He slammed a huge six off Mashrafe Mortaza, giving his side the win and a 2-1 series lead. This showed his ability to remain calm under high pressure, and he was also noted for his ability to build an innings. At times though, he has been dismissed trying to play too aggressively – which did become a bit of a recurring habit.

September 12, 2007 is a day that particularly stands out in Zimbabwean memory. On a chilly evening at Newlands, Taylor anchored a magnificent run-chase against the mighty Australians, belting an unbeaten 60 from just 45 balls in the first ICC World Twenty20.

Defying rain and the famed Duckworth-Lewis calculations, the 21-year-old smashed two sixes off Brad Hodge in the 15th over – one of which was 77 metres long. He also held his nerve to ensure that his side managed to score the required 12 runs off the final over, thus causing one of the biggest upsets in the tournament.

Prior to his batting heroics, Taylor displayed his wicket-keeping prowess; he caught Matthew Hayden off Elton Chigumbura, stumped Andrew Symonds with a quicksilver move, and ran out Mitchell Johnson with a direct hit, having only one stump to aim at.

And all this barely a month after yet another one of his run-ins with the Zimbabwe board over their refusal to allow him to play club cricket overseas.

Another of his more notable ODI innings was a superb, unbeaten 145 against South Africa at Bloemfontein in October 2010. He scored about half of his side’s final total of 287/6, chasing 352 for a win. Next, during NZ’s tour of Zimbabwe in 2011, Brendan hammered back-to-back ODI tons, despite which his side ended up second-best.

However, in the third game of the series, his knock of 75 runs in 65 balls enabled teammates Malcolm Waller and Elton Chigumbura to chase down 329, securing a famous win. That’s the kind of impact Taylor has had on a young Zimbabwe side.

At the Test level, Taylor’s performances have been somewhat below par, owing to his relatively younger age and premature elevation into the Test team before he was 20. However, after Zimbabwe was reinstated into the fold of five-day cricket, the young wicket-keeper batsman has shown remarkable maturity.

With the added responsibility of captaincy, Taylor has also improved his batting – scoring 117 against New Zealand on a fifth day pitch, a knock that featured five huge sixes. Zimbabwe eventually lost the game, but their skipper has maintained that his side will play aggressive cricket in Test matches.

The current ODI series with India offers yet another opportunity for the Zimbabwe captain to make more runs. Primarily a top-order batsman, he has also found some success as a part-time off-break bowler. Both these skills, coupled with his wicket-keeping abilities, make Brendan Taylor a central figure in Zimbabwe’s journey to cricketing excellence.

Zimbabwe has unearthed a special talent, and the Harare lad has repaid their faith in full.