On the eve of playing his last match for Zimbabwe, wicketkeeper-batsman Brendan Taylor admits he made the difficult decision to say goodbye to international cricket with the long-term stability of his family in mind.
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Taylor retires from Zimbabwe Cricket after the final Pool B match in Auckland today, and embarks on a new journey after going Kolpak and signing a three-year deal with English county Nottinghamshire.
The deal means he will be ineligible to play for Zimbabwe during that time, and he can qualify to play for England at the end of that period. Taylor, however, has kept open the option to come back and play for Zimbabwe after he finishes the contract.
Taylor, who is Zimbabwe’s top-scorer in the World Cup so far, said it was the toughest decision of his career.
“I’m very proud to be a Zimbabwean and I’m very proud to represent my country on a great stage tomorrow to finish up and hopefully end on a high note,” said the 29-year-old. “It’s been one of the biggest decisions I’ve had to make; in fact the biggest decision.
“Yes, international cricket has always been the pinnacle for me, but it’s something that I discussed with my family and my wife, and after two, three months of doing that, I decided to go and play in England.
“All players tend to try and maximise a little bit, and when you’ve got kids at home, you want to try and make sure they’ve got the best sort of upbringing that you can give them. That favoured the decision. It’s a three-year decision.
“I am very, very sad to leave Zimbabwe cricket. I’ve had some fond memories and I have some great friends here but life goes on and you have to try and make the best decisions for your family.”
Looking back at his 11-year career with Zimbabwe, during which Taylor played 23 Tests and 166 ODIs and scored 11 international centuries, he said: “It’s been fairly enjoyable the 11 years that I’ve been extremely grateful for.
“Every player’s dream is to represent their country, and I have been lucky enough to do that.
“We have had our challenges as young players coming into the side. We have had some tough losses, but we have slowly evolved and managed to sneak a few great wins for us. It’s been thoroughly enjoyable.”
