Ross Taylor says playing in 2023 World Cup in India 'definitely on the radar'

Auckland: New Zealand’s seasoned batsman Ross Taylor on Tuesday said the 2023 World Cup in India “is definitely on the radar” as he hoped to prolong his career after taking a fresh look at his goals following the COVID-19 hiatus. Taylor, 36, though admitted that it would be a challenge to go on for another three years and sign off at the mega-event. He was speaking to reporters ahead of the first T20 International against the West Indies on 27 November. [caption id=“attachment_8696611” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] File image of Ross Taylor. AP[/caption] “2023 was going to be a stretch, I think, at the best of times, when it was (supposed to be held in) February and March. And now, the World Cup has been dragged out to October and November ‘23, it’s another six or seven months to hang around,” he said. “You’ve got to have short-term goals and long-term goals and the one-day World Cup is definitely on the radar. I might have to trim things back leading into that - I’m not getting any younger. It doesn’t mean I will make it, but, it’s definitely one of my goals.” Taylor is just five games away from becoming New Zealand’s most-capped international cricketer and will go past former captain Daniel Vettori’s record of 437 caps during the upcoming limited overs series (three T20Is and two Tests) against West Indies at home. Since his international debut in 2006, in an ODI against West Indies in Napier, Taylor has played 101 Tests, 232 ODIs and 100 T20Is. “I was really happy to play one or two games for New Zealand,” he said. “I’ve still got to get there first, but my mentor, Martin Crowe, always used to say records are meant to be broken for the next guy to come beat. “Whatever number of games I end up on, hopefully Kane (Williamson, who has 291 caps and whoever comes through can beat that and keep setting the bar higher,” Taylor said. The veteran, who was part of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) this season, felt it wasn’t always easy to play in empty stadia and called it “a little bit dull, almost like a warm-up game”. “In domestic cricket, we don’t really get a lot of people, so that hasn’t felt any different. “(From) playing in front of nobody to having the possibility of playing in front of thousands of people, I think - that’s why you want to play for, you play for your family and friends and the fans.”