News
OFFICIAL: Brendan Taylor Returns To Zimbabwe Squad After Serving 3.5 Year Ban
Follow UsTaylor, one of Zimbabwe’s most decorated batters, was banned from all cricket for 3.5 years in January 2022
Nearly four years after he last played professional cricket, Brendan Taylor is back as an active cricketer after serving his three-and-a-half year ban which was imposed by the ICC. And he has found himself immediately back in the international mix, having been added to Zimbabwe’s squad for the second Test against New Zealand, starting August 7th.
“He will be available for the second Test. I know how hard he has worked in his individual capacity in the last eight to 12 months in order for this to happen,” Zimbabwe captain Craig Ervine said, reported heraldonline.co.zw.
“I am excited to have him [Taylor] come back into the space in the next few days and looking forward to what he has to contribute to the team and the group. He will be coming from a space where he was exceptional in his international career before the ban and having to go through that process as an individual,” he added.
Taylor, one of Zimbabwe’s most decorated batters, was banned from all cricket for 3.5 years in January 2022 after he accepted four charges under the ICC Anti-Corruption Code and, separately, one charge of the ICC Anti-Doping Code.
According to an official ICC release, “Taylor’s doping charge resulted from an In-Competition test conducted in September 2021 following Zimbabwe’s match against Ireland. Taylor tested positive for a cocaine metabolite, which is specified as a Substance of Abuse under the Code.”
The release further stated, “His breaches of the Anti-Corruption Code ultimately resulted from a trip to India in October 2019 where he met with an unknown individual and his associates.”
But the right-hander has done his time, and he will be back to represent Zimbabwe again at the age of 39. Earlier, Taylor declared that he is pushing to play the 2027 ODI World Cup, which will be a home World Cup for Zimbabwe given they are co-hosting it with South Africa and Namibia.
With 9,938 runs to his name, Taylor is Zimbabwe’s third-highest run-getter in international cricket. His 17 centuries across formats are the most for any Zimbabwean. He was in fine form in Test cricket before his ban, with his last three scores reading 92, 81 and 49.