Upfront
Ross Taylor
by Matt Nippert
Big hitter.
At age five, Ross Taylor started playing cricket in Masterton. By 16, he was representing the country in the under-19 team. Now 23, and with a penchant for the slog-swept six, he is regarded as New Zealand’s brightest batting prospect in years. Born in Lower Hutt to a Samoan mother, he is only the second Polynesian player to earn national honours in our summer code. Since making his debut last year, he has clocked up two centuries, including a scorching 117 against Australia last month, and averages 40. The Listener caught up with the young master blaster just before he flew out with the Black Caps to the Caribbean and the Cricket World Cup.
Watching the Black Caps beat Australia 3-0 in the recent Chappell-Hadlee series was pretty good from the couch. How was it out there in the middle? It was awesome, but I didn’t do that much in those three games …
Come on! Don’t be modest. You scored a century in one of them. [Laughs] New Zealand cricket hasn’t had the profile we’ve had in the past few weeks since, probably, the 1992 World Cup. To beat Australia in any sport, and to thrash them in a couple of games, was awesome.
Do you remember watching those games in 1992? I think I was only eight at the time, and watching that probably got me into cricket and made me want to be a Black Cap. And I remember that I got my mother to buy me a “Young Guns” T-shirt. I don’t know if I’ve still got it at home …
It probably doesn’t fit any more. Yeah, it’d be like a tank-top now.
Are the Aussies really as cocky as they come across on TV? Gotta be careful here. [Laughs] Australians in general are a very confident people, and deservedly so. They’ve been the best side in the world for the last decade and a half and I think that’s just their mentality. But, hopefully, [our] winning the last couple of games, and England beating them in their own final, will have pegged them back a bit.
Heaps of Polynesians play for the All Blacks. Why are so few drawn to cricket? I can’t pinpoint that exactly, but it might be that they haven’t been exposed to cricket. My mother’s Samoan and my dad’s Palagi – he’s a Kiwi – and I got into the game because of him. He used to play representative cricket back in Wairarapa – and if he hadn’t played, I probably wouldn’t have. Hopefully, being a Samoan, I can promote cricket to the Samoan and Polynesian community. I’m sure there’s a six-foot-four all-rounder somewhere that’s going to play for the All Blacks one day; maybe the Black Caps can pinch him.
Are you worried that Samoa will start complaining that we’re stealing their cricketers? No. [Laughs] I wouldn’t think so.
When you scored your century against Australia, you celebrated by taking off your helmet, holding your bat up in the air and poking out your tongue. Were you mimicking the haka or just being cheeky? When I look back at it now, I don’t know why, it was just a reaction. It was probably more that I was cheeky. I’d had a bit of luck during the innings and raised my bat, but I’m still wondering why I stuck my tongue out.
When you’re batting in the hot afternoon sun, what is the biggest challenge: facing [Australian bowler] Glenn McGrath or battling cramps? Definitely facing Glenn McGrath. Hopefully I can get rid of the cramps because they’ve been quite embarrassing.
So, what causes you to occasionally spasm like a landed fish? To be honest, we haven’t got on top of it. But the three times I have got cramp, it’s been in the morning and I’m not a big breakfast eater. Is it a coincidence? Probably not. I’ve just got to rehydrate and eat a bit more in the mornings.
Any superstitions when playing? Would you wear the same jockstrap for all five days of a test match? I don’t think I should answer that jockstrap question, actually. [Laughs] I do have some [superstitions], but our psychologist prefers to call them “routines”.
How are you handling being labelled the brightest young cricketing thing since Daniel Vettori? It’s a good accolade to have, but that’s the media’s job: to try to pump you up as a young cricketer, but hopefully not too much before the big crash later on …
… when critics swarm like sharks to nobble you. That’s the thing. Cricket’s such a fickle game, you do have a lot of ups and downs and you shouldn’t get too carried away with what you’ve achieved.
Are you looking forward to visiting the home of reggae? I do listen to Katchafire and Fat Freddy’s Drop, and I used to listen to Bob Marley at school. But to be honest, I don’t know a hell of a lot about the places we’re going. Although I’m really over there to play cricket, I hope the likes of Barbados and Jamaica and St Lucia and Antigua are as nice as they sound.
Did you know there’s another Ross Taylor who’s played first-class cricket? No, I didn’t.
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