Former captain says he was undermined by teammates in his new book.
In the book he says he lost the confidence of teammates. "In terms of being undermined, that West Indies trip was actually worse than the Sri Lankan tour when it all came to a head. "I still don't know how I captained that team knowing half the players didn't want me, and the coach was actively engaged in making their wishes come true. "In all probability, a Pākehā listening to those sorts of comments would think, 'Oh, that's okay, it's just a bit of banter.' But he's hearing it as a white person and it's not directed at people like him. "You wonder if you should pull them up but worry that you'll create a bigger problem or be accused of playing the race card by inflating harmless banter into racism. "In many ways, dressing-room banter is the barometer.
Black Caps great speaks out about Brendon McCullum, Mike Hesson, David White and others in an explosive new book.
Buchanan arrived in Sri Lanka and told Taylor he was going to recommend he stay on as captain. Just before a meeting with White, Taylor said “Brendon called to say I should take the test captaincy. “By the end of his stint, we got along OK’’. A beautiful mind crunching all the player stats. “Brendon also sought and obtained an injunction to prevent publication of his email exchange... There are leaders and there are followers, and I think you are a follower’. There are senior players in the team who don’t want you as captain. You need journalists close enough to smell the liniment. “I focused on my job, scoring runs, ticking off the goals Hogan [mentor Martin Crowe] had set for me. “I’d kicked a rubbish bin outside a dressing room, sending rubbish everywhere, so fair enough to pull me up on that. I don’t want the captaincy…’’ He said we’d meet that afternoon.’’ I figured they’d go even more rogue if he was left out.’’
Taylor's book tells of the highs and lows of a Samoan boy from Masterton with the impressive tongue, who went on to smash the record books.
It's fair to say Ross Taylor is one of New Zealand's all time cricketing greats. He ended his career earlier this year as the all-time best run scorer acro.
- Author - Newstalk ZB, - Author
New Zealand cricket great Ross Taylor is telling his life story. In this extract from his new biography, he talks about the routines that helped him become ...
I’d happily use a brand-new bat in a game — I’d just have some throwdowns in the morning as I did when I got 290 in Perth — whereas most guys would give it a good workout in the nets first to break it in and get used to it. Having said that, I don’t think I would have had the nerve to do it in the first innings, in case I got a duck and was on a pair. When I was playing for Jamaica in the Caribbean Premier League, Andre Russell, the captain, wanted to drop me because he thought my bats were no good. Then I had to decide whether I wanted to take it up a notch and really make a statement by going through my whole routine again. When I eventually faced up, they’d take a few steps, come to a halt and go back to the top of their run-up. If I felt I wasn’t as mentally switched on as I needed to be, I’d go through the routine again after a break in play. I was in the Kaimais when Victoria rang to say the Northern Districts CEO was coming over in the morning and could bring my trousers. When the wicket fell and it was my turn to bat, I’d pick up my gloves and my drink bottle, have three sips, put the drink bottle down, put my helmet on, grab my bat and walk out. I could control my mind and my preparation, all the way down to the order in which I put my gear on. I said I couldn’t have the duck because I was playing in two days’ time. About 1.30am he decided it would be a good idea to have a nightcap with Ian Botham, who was staying on a boat out in the bay. I’d rung the hairdresser, I’d got a duck, I made a connection.