Ross Taylor does a Shahid Afridi but not for New Zealand; T20 World Cup 2026 will witness..
Table of Contents
Former New Zealand international legend Ross Taylor has reportedly reversed his retirement from international cricket and will star for the Samoa Cricket Team in the upcoming Asia-East Asia-Pacific T20 World Cup 2026 qualifier in Oman.
Players coming out of their international retirement are no longer surprising in the game of cricket; notable names like Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, and many more have done this before. However, this time it's a Kiwi cricketer with the same feat.
New Zealand's fifth-highest run-getter in T20Is, despite 5 years since his International retirement, has returned to the field, and this time it's not for the Blackcaps but for Samoa, in the World Cup qualifiers.
Ross Taylor reverses his International retirement
The 41-year-old New Zealand cricketer, Ross Taylor, will play for the Samoa side in the Asia-East Asia-Pacific T20 World Cup 2026 qualifier in Oman. Taylor was named in the 15-member squad for the qualifiers, which Samoa has reached with wins over Vanuatu, Cook Islands, and Fiji.
A Glimpse of Taylor's international career for New Zealand
The former New Zealand cricketer is one of the most prolific run-getters in the history of international cricket for New Zealand. Ross Taylor played for New Zealand between 2006 to 2022, featuring in a total of 112 Tests, 236 ODIs, and 102 T20Is.
The middle-order batter has amassed a total of 7683 runs in Test cricket, 8607 runs in One-dayers, and 1909 runs in T20 internationals. Taylor also has years of experience playing franchise cricket around the globe.
He has featured across seven editions of the Indian Premier League and the five editions of the Caribbean Premier League as well.
How is the former Kiwi eligible to represent Samoa internationally?
Ross Taylor has a Samoan passport from his mother's heritage and hence became eligible to play for Samoa despite being a former New Zealand international and a New Zealand citizen.
On the other hand, Taylor has also bid adieu to international cricket for New Zealand back in 2022; he has also been on a cooling-off period for 3 years, after ending a remarkable career as the greatest among New Zealand cricketers of all-time.
