One of Zimbabwe’s legendary cricketers, Brendan Taylor has decided to hang his boots, with the 35-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman announcing that the third ODI against Ireland later on Monday will be his last cricketing assignment for his country. He made his international debut at 18 years of age in an ODI against Sri Lanka in 2004, Taylor has established himself as one of Zimbabwe’s finest-ever players in the 17 years since, playing 283 internationals across all formats.
Only Grant Flower (288) and Hamilton Masakadza (313) have played more matches for Zimbabwe. Brendan Taylor goes into his final match with a chance to making a record y becoming Zimbabwe’s greatest ever run-scorer in ODI cricket — the format where he has left a huge imprint. He currently has 6667 runs in the ODIs under his belt, 112 short of Andy Flower’s national record 6786.
If Brendan Taylor breaks the record, it will take him to 12 centuries in the format, which would be five clear of the next best Zimbabwean, Alistair Campbell. Taylor announced his retirement plans on Instagram.
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Announcing his retirement on Instagram, Brendan Taylor wrote: “It’s with a heavy heart that I’m announcing that tomorrow (Monday) is my last game for my beloved country. 17 years of extreme highs and extreme lows and I wouldn’t change it for the world. It’s taught me to be humble, to always remind myself how lucky I was to be in the position I was in for so long. To wear the badge with pride and leave everything on the field. My goal was to always leave the team in a better position as to when I first arrived back in 2004, I hope I have done that.”
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Brendan Taylor went on to thank Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC), fans, teammates past and present, family, and friends, and signed off with a special note recognizing the invaluable role his family has played in his cricketing journey.
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He added, “Finally to my wife @tkellyanne and our four beautiful boys (sic). You have meant everything to me on this journey and it wouldn’t have been possible without you. No more airport heartaches. I look forward to our next chapter. I love you all very much.”
Brendan Taylor also played 34 Tests, scoring 2320 runs at an average of 36.25, with his highest being 171 runs.
