Brendan Taylor smashes multiple records on his way out

Brendan Taylor smashes multiple records on his way out

Following his offer from Nottinghamshire, Brendan Taylor was not left with an option but to quit international cricket for Zimbabwe. He found himself in familiar territory in what was his last international innings, coming out at 13 for two against India at Eden Park in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 encounter. Soon afterwards he lost Solomon Mire: 33 for three. There was only pride to play for. Live Updates: India vs Zimbabwe

Taylor decided to let Sean Williams take control of proceedings. The pair put up 93 in quick time, Williams scoring 50 of them. Then, as Craig Ervine walked out, Taylor took control of proceedings. The first 74 balls had fetched Taylor 57 runs; the next 36, a whopping 81. When he was eventually dismissed for a 110-ball 138, Taylor had helped lift Zimbabwe to 235 in the 42nd over.  Live Scorecard: India vs Zimbabwe

Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, and Suresh Raina were among the Indians who congratulated the man on his way out; at the discussion during the interval, Sanjay Manjrekar and Mpumelelo Mbangwa called Taylor the greatest One-Day International (ODI) batsman for Zimbabwe; Sourav Ganguly rated him behind only Andy Flower. Brendan Taylor’s magnificent century propels Zimbabwe to 287 against India

How did the man — respected by experts, fans, teammates, and the opposition alike — perform in ODIs?

Most ODI runs for Zimbabwe

Of Zimbabwean batsmen, only Flower brothers — affectionately referred to as Flower Power by fans — have scored more runs than Taylor. It must be remembered that the Flowers played cricket during Zimbabwe’s peak at the turn of the millennium, while Taylor played during their dark days following the Robert Mugabe regime.

Most ODI hundreds for Zimbabwe

Taylor has the most ODI hundreds for Zimbabwe. In fact, his count is double Andy Flower’s; the only men who come close to Taylor are Alistair Campbell and Grant Flower; six of Campbell’s seven hundreds have come while opening batting, as have four of Flower’s. Five of Taylor’s eight hundreds have come batting in the middle-order (though it must be admitted that Zimbabwean openers have not necessarily been top-notch during the Taylor era).

Hundreds in last two ODIs

Taylor is the first cricketer to finish his ODI career with two hundreds on the trot. He had amassed 121 in his previous ODI — against Ireland at Bellerive Oval. Of course, this list excludes Sangakkara (hundreds in last four ODIs) and Mahmudullah (hundreds in last two).

Highest scores in last ODI

The list excludes active players. Of the current lot, Mahmudullah has 128 not out in his final innings, while Kumar Sangakkara has 124.

The World Cup innings was also Taylor’s last. It is the second-highest score by any batsman in his last innings after James Marshall’s 161. An interesting entry is Clive Radley’s 117 not out, way back in 1978. Radley finished his career with batting averages of 48.10 from 10 innings (two hundreds) and 83.33 from four ODIs (one hundred).

Highest scores by wicketkeepers in ODIs

Adam Gilchrist’s iconic 149 in ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 still remains a record. Taylor’s record is not even the best by a Zimbabwean wicketkeeper, but it would remain a special innings nevertheless.

Highest scores against India in World Cups

Ricky Ponting’s 140 not out in ICC Cricket World Cup 2003 final was probably the best by anyone against India in a World Cup cricket encounter, but that should not take the sheen away from Andrew Strauss’ 158 in the epic tied match at Chinnaswamy. Interestingly, the top three names on the list — those of Strauss, Ponting, and Taylor — all belong to captains.

Highest ODI scores by wicketkeeper-captains:

AB de Villiers, with three innings in excess of 125 at New Wanderers in the past three years, dominates this table. Taylor, however, makes an appearance, as does MS Dhoni.