Former Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor is gearing up for a return to international cricket, with the 2027 World Cup firmly in his sights. Initially considering a career in coaching, the 39-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman has now decided to resume playing, motivated by the prospect of representing his country on home soil.
Taylor’s three-and-a-half-year ban for breaching the ICC’s anti-corruption code will end in July. After that, he hopes to don the Zimbabwe jersey once again. Despite his initial thoughts of moving into coaching, he was convinced to continue playing by Zimbabwe Cricket’s managing director, Givemore Makoni.
“I still want to play, and I believe I can make an impact as a player. Givemore has been very supportive. He put my coaching role on hold and asked, ‘Can you play until the 2027 World Cup and try to push yourself forward?’ I’ll be 41 by then,” Taylor told ESPNcricinfo.
The 2027 ODI World Cup is set to take place in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. Makoni’s encouragement played a crucial role in Taylor’s decision to aim for one last World Cup on home turf.
Taylor’s career has been marked by both brilliance and controversy. In January 2022, he was banned for violating four clauses of the ICC’s anti-corruption code, along with a separate anti-doping breach. He later revealed that in October 2019, a businessman had invited him to India under the guise of discussing sponsorship and a T20 tournament in Zimbabwe. However, Taylor claimed he was blackmailed with a spot-fixing proposal, which he reported to the ICC four months later.
The former captain unexpectedly retired from international cricket in September 2021, just four months before the ban was announced. Taylor maintained that, despite receiving the proposal, he never engaged in any fixing.
Under the conditions of his ban, Taylor has not been allowed to play recognized cricket or train with domestic or international teams. Instead, he has been preparing independently using the facilities at an elite school in Harare.
Zimbabwe is set to play a Test match against England in May, their first in over two decades, but Taylor will not be eligible for that game. However, he hopes to make his comeback during the home series against New Zealand in August.
In September, Zimbabwe will host the African regional qualifiers for the 2026 T20 World Cup. Taylor believes he still has work to do to make the T20 squad.
“I definitely see myself in Tests and ODIs. T20 is something I really need to improve on, but I’m excited to work on it,” Taylor said.
Taylor’s international career is rich with accomplishments. In ODIs, he amassed 6,684 runs at an average of 35.55, the second-highest for Zimbabwe. His 11 ODI centuries remain a national record, as does his 17 international tons across formats.
In Tests, he scored 2,320 runs at an average of 36.25, placing him fourth on Zimbabwe’s all-time list. Remarkably, five of his six Test centuries came against Bangladesh. He also scored 934 runs in T20Is.
From 2011 to 2021, Taylor captained Zimbabwe in 71 matches across formats. He first led the side from mid-2011 to mid-2014 before stepping away after the 2015 World Cup to join English county side Nottinghamshire under a Kolpak deal. He returned to international cricket in 2017.
Taylor was one of the standout performers at the 2015 World Cup, scoring 433 runs with two centuries and a fifty, making him the tournament’s fourth-highest run-scorer. However, Zimbabwe has failed to qualify for the last two World Cups, a painful experience Taylor hopes to help change.
“Playing a World Cup at home is something special. We’ve had some heartbreaking experiences in recent tournaments, so I hope we can turn things around this time,” Taylor said.
