Ross Taylor, deserving yet underrated!

There isn’t a singular theory. But in fact, multiple theories that postulate a case for suggesting that in world cricket, one of the most deserving yet underrated international cricketers is Ross Taylor. This isn’t an attempt to befuddle the common notion surrounding Taylor, who often painted as an aggressive big striking batsman. When the truth is he’s so much more. But what supports the case surrounding one of the most deserving yet underrated international cricketers Ross Taylor, is ascertainment of facts over the assertion of self-concocted theories.
Here are a few.
A player with a special technique
Firstly, Taylor is someone who doesn’t exactly wield a perfect copybook style technique and has yet continued to be among the runs for over a decade.
“T20s are in and are constantly stealing the thunder away from Test and ODI Cricket.” In an age where this seems to be the modern-day dictum, it is but the efforts of under-appreciated blokes like Ross Taylor that ODI cricket is still thriving and ensuring that fans fill up stands like bees surrounding a hive.
Keeping the momentum up for NZ in ODIs
Lastly, we’ve got to appreciate the fact that at a time where some sensational biggies- Gayle, Kohli, De Villiers- are not only around but growing in impact, it’s Rosco who’s kept the New Zealand flag fluttering in limited overs cricket. Moreover, finding himself in the company of some prodigious cricketing talents- Guptill, Munro, Williamson- batsmen who possess the capability to smash any bowling attack into smithereens- life hasn’t got any easier for Taylor. But he hasn’t budged under pressure.
And has, in fact, produced impactful results as the task to spearhead New Zealand’s name in the sports post-McCullum’s exit- grown more tougher.
Not only has one of the most deserving yet underrated international cricketers Ross Taylor delivered time and again for New Zealand- he’s attempted to brandish the reputation of a side into being a wholesome cricketing force which fans are happy to address as Black Caps.
It ought to be asked if the phrase Black Caps is any indication of the true potential of a side that on its day can ramshackle any given attack? While in a Trent Boult and Tim Southee, New Zealand have twin pace power to scoff even well-set batsmen and in Munro, Williamson and Guptill a famous troika in contemporary cricket, in Ross Taylor New Zealand find a dependable platform from which to launch and leap high. Isn’t it?
An impact player with tons of experience
Debuting in the sport in 2007 and wielding the willow with a certain degree of carefreeness that only blokes with a supreme sense of self-confidence possess, Ross Taylor at 34 is enjoying a second wind in his career. Purists often regard at 34, you are nearly at the peak of your powers. This is a stage for a cricketer wherein he’s not going to get any younger and nor is his useful experience going to cheat him of adding value to the team.
But if anyone watched one of the most deserving yet underrated international cricketers Ross Taylor recently in his unbeaten 181 you’d be compelled to view things differently.
Starring big for New Zealand in a match-winning effort, striking the fourth highest ever score in a run chase, Ross Taylor batted with the surgical precision of a master run-chase but with the passion of a bright teenager.
Few have combined experience and exuberance in the game with such ease. But then not everyone is like one of the most deserving yet underrated international cricketer Ross Taylor.
When Taylor’s assault was too much for England to swallow
While he put to great use all the experience of being in the field for over a decade, you neither found him panicking whilst chasing in excess of 330, nor did you see him take needless risks as he effortlessly ripped apart Eoin Morgan’s England. You felt for England. They didn’t see it coming. They weren’t told that Taylor would be out there and would hurl a nasty hand grenade into the English dugout. The scenes at Dunedin on March 7, 2018, were unreal but there was only one professor at the University Oval.
It was that man with a familiar smile, unhurried gait and an exceptional bent of mind for the game. Good players, it can be said, are renowned for their awareness of key match situations. Great players- and Ross Taylor certainly is one- are aware how to contribute in key games. That said, a theory that sufficiently argues against Taylor being a high-octane adrenaline player is how well he safeguards his wicket. In his personal best, Taylor swatted aside Ben Stokes over mid-wicket, one of his favourite regions in striking effective flat hits. Yet, at the same time, he played Rashid and Ali with the spin, going well on backfoot to find gaps square off the wicket.
His blade was as involved in sending balls out of the ground as it was occupied in slicing straightened deliveries with judicious application of the backhand. But all that said, often we forget just how effective Ross Taylor has been in recent cricketing months.
Does it occur to us that from the last 4 years, starting 2014, Taylor has collected 2876 of his 7200 ODI runs? Much to the chagrin of his critics, Taylor hasn’t looked rusty of late. Not one bit. There don’t seem to be rough patches in his form either. You cannot sufficiently point to an area where at 34 with much younger guys, it could be said that Taylor is being a pile-on for New Zealand.
In fact, he’s quite the fulcrum around which world-class batsmen like Williamson and Guptill are playing.
Ross Taylor’s form in the last four years has been nothing shy of phenomenal. Here are stats that reduce doubts about him to grovel

Milestones
1. Ross Taylor with 7267 runs is the New Zealand player with most ODI runs from the entire current squad.
2 As far as striking the most number of ODI runs for New Zealand stands, Taylor trails only Brendon McCullum who has just over 8000 ODI runs
3. Ross Taylor seems to be in the second wind of his career, his recent ODI successes indicating a purple patch with scores of 181*, 113, 43*
4. Taylor’s ODI strike rate of 82.87 is the third highest in the side behind Colin Munro and Martin Guptill respectively.
5. Ross Taylor’s ODI batting average of 46 is just a tad bit lower than Kane Williamson’s but overall the second highest in the current NZ set-up.