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By Rajarshi Gupta in Kandy

Taylor is one of the most dreaded openers in world cricket today. Despite playing for an inconsistent Zimbabwe, the 25-year-old has carved a name for himself in the globe and bowlers now look up to him with fear and respect.

Calm and soft-spoken, the opener is visibly frustrated with his middle-order and wants the side to be more consistent. In an EXCLUSIVE interview with ESPNSTAR.com, Taylor revealed he wanted to base his game around South Africa’s Hashim Amla and how much he rued missing out on the IPL.

Excerpts:

Rajarshi Gupta: You were brilliant against Sri Lanka. What was the mindset like when you went in to bat against a strong bowling attack, chasing a huge total?

Brendan Taylor: My mindset was very positive when I went out to bat. We saw how the wicket played when they batted and we knew it was a good wicket. There was a belief that we could get close to the Lankan total but unfortunately we started well and then collapsed in the middle- just got out on the wrong side and that didn’t help the cause. So yes, there is a lot of work to be done in the middle-order where the top four or five contribute more. We need to come together stronger and tougher try and rebuild and continue to show some fight from the top-order.

RG: Are you frustrated with the middle-order? You start off well and then the other following you seem to struggle.

BT: We have got some good firepower in the middle-order but unfortunately it’s taking a bit of time to produce any goods but we believe a lot in our batsmen. I think it’s just time that they show the goods that we know they can deliver. They have got the ability and the potential and they have shown glimpses of that in the past. There is no better time to shine now than the ICC Cricket World Cup- we still have a couple of games left and there is a big game against Pakistan so it’s a good time to showcase some of that talent.

RG: How was the pitch to bat on under lights? Was the ball skidding through?

BT: The ball was skidding through because of the dew on the grass, which made our jobs a lot easier. Murali is a handful on turning wickets so that really wasn’t an issue. I felt we played Dilshan poorly because he is not a big turner of the ball and then there was the dew factor. Our decision-making was poor. There is no excuse to get bowled out for 180 odd on that wicket.

RG: Shahid Afridi has been virtually unplayable so far in the ICC CWC but New Zealand seemed to have sorted him out. What will be your approach against him on Monday?

BT: I don’t think we want to give any wickets to Afridi because the team knows how dangerous he can be when he gets early wickets. If we get 35, 40 runs off his 10 overs without any wickets, I reckon we will take that. They have a quality bowling attack but we if we occupy the crease and show some a bit of intensity to the approach, there is no reason why we can’t post a good total against Pakistan.

RG: As one of the cleanest hitters of the cricket ball in the world, did you regret missing out on the IPL?

BT: I regretted that massively but if you look at some of the players who missed out, they are great names, really. You know that’s the way it goes and that just makes me more determined to continue playing international cricket and do what I am doing. Hopefully, my time will come and it’s not the end of the world. Fortunately, I am still young so there is plenty of time in my hand and of course there are some areas I can improve on personally.

RG: What if you get an offer from one of the IPL sides after the ICC CWC?


BT: I will grab it both hands. No question about that. Tatenda Taibu has given me a lot of inputs about the IPL. It is every cricketer’s dream to be part of the greatest cricketing tournament in the world.

RG: Are there any openers in the world you admire? Who is your idol?


BT: There are quite a few I admire- Sehwag and Tendulkar are wonderful players but one player I particularly like is Hashim Amla. He keeps it very simple and is very calm at the crease. I would like to be a lot like him- I am not an explosive batsman but I like to hit the ball into the ground and in the gaps and leave the six-hitting to the other guys coming in down the order.

RG: Zimbabwe cricket can do with some help from other cricket boards across the world, right?


BT: Obviously we have done some rebuilding but it would be good to get some help from India and Australia and the other big teams so we can show the world we are capable of playing Test cricket at the biggest level. However, if we are not performing consistently, we are not doing ourselves any favour. People have shown a lot of faith in us, so it’s time we started performing more consistently and repaid their faith in us.

RG: You have a great coaching staff to help you get to that level.

BT: It’s fantastic to have Heath Streak, Alan Butcher and Grant Flower in the team. Everything is being done for us and now we have to do something to repay the support staff. The team needs to get some good performances together.

RG: But consistency has always been an issue with Zimbabwe.

BT: One thing that has let us down is consistency. We generally get that right against the lesser teams but we let ourselves down against the better sides. We can take a lot of positives from the game against Sri Lanka and hopefully we will learn how to construct our game in the closing stages

Bangladesh upstaged England by two wickets while chasing a target of 226 on Friday and Taylor said Zimbabwe would aim for a similar stunner when they have a face off against Pakistan.

"Absolutely, that's an inspiration," Taylor said after a practice session. "We know that it's a must-win game for us but at the same time it's a huge challenge for us so we got that belief that we can win," he added.

Zimbabwe have slim chance of qualifying for the quarterfinals as they have just two points from the matches played so far.

"We, as a team, are always positive and have put the performance against Sri Lanka behind us and look forward to a very big challenge on Monday. We know what we are up against and we've got to come out believing we can compete and win," said Taylor.

Taylor said he would aim to emulate New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor, who struck a whirlwind knock of 131 against Pakistan to guide the Black Caps to victory. I admire him very much as a player," said Taylor.

"It's nice to see him get some runs and if I can get anything near what he got I will be very happy," he added.

Taylor said winning the match against Pakistan would be the perfect birthday present for skipper Elton Chigumbura, who turns 25 on Monday.

"It would be great if we can give a good performance. That will be a great birthday present for Elton and a good sign for all of us in the team," said Taylor.

Taylor said winning the match against Pakistan would be the perfect birthday present for skipper Elton Chigumbura, who turns 25 on Monday.

eugene wrote:Kamran Akmal will be Zimbabwe's best player in the game against Pakistan.