World Cup 2015: Selfless Taylor draws curtains on Zimbabwe career with a knock to remember

More than 12 years ago, in another cricket World Cup in another continent, two Zimbabwean players chose to make a stand that would force them to prematurely end their international careers. Andy Flower and Henry Olonga wore black armbands during Zimbabwe’s opening game of the 2003 World Cup in Harare to mark the “death of democracy” in their beloved country. Brendan Taylor was 17 years old. He was yet to play an international cricket match. Today at the Eden Park in Auckland, after scoring 138 breathtaking runs, only to see his inexperienced and over-matched bowlers give the match away to India, Taylor has chosen to draw curtains on his Zimbabwe career, to look towards England and a county career with Nottinghamshire. A lot of water has flown under the bridge in the intervening years and it has all gotten too much for Taylor. He has chosen his family’s welfare over serving a nation’s sport whose governing body only made things hard for him to do the one thing he really loves to do – play cricket. [caption id=“attachment_2154163” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Many players – black and white – left Zimbabwe in the last 12 years but Brendan chose not to. AFP[/caption] Many players – black and white – left Zimbabwe in the last 12 years but Brendan chose not to. The country was in doldrums financially and his cricket board wasn’t exactly serving the sport and he could have exercised the option to go somewhere else, but he chose to stay. He, along with his mates, represented their nation in Test matches without knowing whether their salaries will be paid; they weren’t arranged to stay in hotels during Test matches, so they commuted from home; he saw players lot less talented and accomplished than himself raking in the dollars, and yet he chose to stay. Not any more. He has thought hard and discussed at length with his family – for three months — because to end an international career when you are 29 years old, at the peak of your powers — is not an easy decision — and he has now said his final goodbye to the land of his birth. Ahead of his final game for Zimbabwe, Taylor explained the logic behind the decision: “I think all players tend to try and maximise a little bit, and when you’ve got kids at home, you want to try and make sure they’ve got the best sort of upbringing that you can give them. That all sort of favoured the decision.” And what a last game he played. People would give their arm and a leg to perform the way he did on his swansong. He stood in for the injured skipper Elton Chigumbura. He stood behind the wickets as MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina put on almost 200 runs to steal a victory. He stood tall with his 138 that Sunil Gavaskar proclaimed to be one of the best ODI innings he has ever seen. Walking in at a precarious 3/33 in 11 overs, Taylor nudged and nurdled, with occasional shots of impudence — and in the company of Sean Williams, got his half century. When the 100 of the 5th wicket partnership with Craig Ervine came up, Ervine had only contributed 20 runs. Taylor was on the loose and flying through like an uncaged bird. When the burdens of representation and the shackles of doubt had been removed – he didn’t have to worry — this was his last game in Zimbabwe colours – and he soared. Spinner or seamer, no one was spared. He brought his century up with the shot of a genius. As Mohammed Shami pitched short, Taylor initially looked to come forward, stopped, rocked back on his stance and ramped the delivery over the slip for a magnificent six. The levee broke and runs rushed forth. He punished Ravindra Jadeja to the tune of 24 runs in an over – three fours and two sixes – as if he was playing a game of “round the clock” that Barry Richards used to do in Hampshire, hitting them through fine leg, square leg, long on and long off. In the course of his last hurrah as a Zimbabwean cricketer, he became the first Zimbabwean to score 400 runs in a World Cup — and the first Zimbabwean to score back-to-back hundreds in the tournament’s history. The magnificent innings came to a close as his glove came off the handle while attempting to play a short delivery to the on-side. Even as the catch was settling in to the safe hands of Shikhar Dhawan, Raina and other Indian fielders rushed to congratulate Taylor on a fabulous knock and a fantastic international career. Taylor said he was “touched” by the gesture. As he walked off, helmet removed, arms aloft, soaking in the adulation, he knew he had served his country with all that he could even as it was a one-way street most of the time. Now he will start a new chapter in his life.