Brendan Taylor, the Zimbabwe wicketkeeper-batsman, has announced that he will be retiring after Monday’s (September 13) ODI against Ireland in Belfast.
Taylor, who had made his debut in 2004, went on to play 34 Tests, 204 ODIs and 45 T20Is – following which he became one of Zimbabwe’s finest cricketers. Ahead of his last international assignment as a player, against Ireland, Taylor has a chance to end up as Zimbabwe’s leading run-getter in the 50-over format (Currently 109 runs behind Andy Flower). With 11 centuries to his credit, the 34-year-old is already the country’s leading century-maker in the format.
He is the fourth highest run-getter for Zimbabwe in Tests, with 2320 runs in 34 matches, and third in T20Is behind Hamilton Masakadza and Sean Williams.
“It’s with a heavy heart that I’m announcing that tomorrow is my last game for my beloved country,” Taylor stated on a Twitter post on Sunday. “17 years of extreme highs and extreme lows and I wouldn’t change it for the world.
“It’s taught me to humble, to always remind myself how lucky I was to be in the position I was in for so long. To wear the badge with pride and leave everything on the field. My goal was to always leave the team in a better position as to when I first arrived back in 2004, I hope I have done that.”
Taylor, who was Zimbabwe’s leading run-getter in the 2015 ICC World Cup, had signed up for Nottinghamshire as a Kolpak player and played for three seasons before returning to the national side to boost their bid in the 2019 ICC World Cup qualifiers.
Taylor hit an enterprising 49 in the opening ODI of the ongoing series to help Zimbabwe go 1-0 up in the series. While rain played spoilsport in the second game, Taylor will hope he can help his side clinch the series and in turn, wind up his career on a high.
