It truly was a party atmosphere when the Victoria Bushrangers met the Queensland Bulls – with BLACKCAP Ross Taylor right in the middle of it.
The opening Twenty20 game of Australia’s KFC Big Bash tournament, at the Gabba in Brisbane, was spoilt by rain, with the Victorian team victorious by three runs under the Duckworth Lewis system - but Taylor wasn’t going to let it rain on his parade, scoring 57 for the Victorian team and ultimately being named man of the match.
Taylor was called in as a last minute overseas replacement and showed what he could do with the bat scoring 50 runs off just 35 balls including four fours and three sixes. Taylor said his score came with “a bit of luck” on the testing Gabba wicket. “The pitch is renowned for its bounce and pace and it’s a bit different to New Zealand pitches but it was enjoyable,” he said.
Taylor came into bat when Victoria were three wickets down for five runs and he was able to form a good partnership with Cameron White to steady the ship. “I got lucky early on and I thought the only way out of this was to play some shots. The partnership was a good one and it got us back in the match.”
Although he is currently holidaying in Australia, he relished the chance to play in a Twenty20 game before the HRV Cup starts back home. “This is the first time I’ve had a hit on my break,” he said. “Hopefully I can continue my form into the HRV Cup.”
His participation in the game was a culmination of efforts between Victorian Cricket Association, Central Districts Cricket Association and New Zealand Cricket. “They were pretty awesome at getting things organised quickly. I suppose that is the nature of Twenty20 cricket,” he said.
Taylor is also available for the Victoria side if they make it through to the preliminary finals on January 19, and meantime he will be part of the Central Stags team participating in the HRV Cup which starts in early January.
