With 243 T20 matches under his belt, Guyana Amazon Warriors’ newcomer, Ross Taylor is ready to go into battle this year during the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).
Warriors will open their campaign today against Trinbago Knight Riders, a team Taylor was part of in the inaugural season.
Now, the 36-year-old is with the five-time finalists and he believes the team can go one step further and win their maiden title.
In an exclusive interview Taylor told Stabroek Sport, “It’s obviously strange times with COVID but when we step out on the field we want one thing and that is to win and go one step further than we’ve done not only last year but the whole campaign and hopefully be the first team from Guyana to lift the CPL trophy.”
Fitting into the new side, Taylor revealed that he has been accepted with “open arms” and had already established that familiarity with the side since he played with and against some of his teammates throughout his career.
The New Zealand right-hander admitted his fascination with the Warriors and only now understood what the secret to their success is.
“It feels good [to be in a Warriors shirt], I’ve always admired Guyana. Every time I played against them they’ve been a tough competitor and once being in the team environment I’ve understood why. They have a very family oriented team culture and they train hard and are well run from the top all the way down,” Taylor expressed.
Taylor disclosed that he is pleased to be in the side that is packed with match winners while naming the likes of Shimron Hetmyer, Brandon King, Nicholas Pooran and Sherfane Rutherford.
However, while the side has seasoned campaigners, Taylor was equally impressed with the bench strength of the side. This factor, he believes will come in handy during the tournament due to the fixture being so condensed.
Taylor highlighted that he knows his role and will be happy to play it, particularly since he has done it time-and-time again for teams across the world.
“I think it’s a role I’ve done a lot in different teams but at the same time, it’s almost the taboo word of not going that hard but I think there is enough power in our team so that is not going to be a problem. Sometimes you just need an anchor so to speak. It’s a role I’ve enjoyed in other teams and it’s a word they don’t want to use in other teams but I end up being there but I am looking forward to it and even though I am 36, I’m wanting to learn and hopefully I can instill a bit of knowledge and wisdom but at the same time I am willing to learn from these players and improving my game as well,” he told Stabroek Sport.
Despite an illustrious career, Taylor admitted that he has not played in five months which, in his opinion, is the longest he has gone without a match since High School. He also acknowledged that due to this downtime there will be some nerves but is confident he can get over it quickly.
“It’s not how you start a tournament but how you finish it. We will be giving it our all at the start but I’m sure there will be a bit of teething issues and a bit of rustiness but I’m sure the team that gets it out the quickest will get the right result at the end of the day,” Taylor explained.
The former New Zealand captain revealed that the preparation has not gone according to plan but is confident the team will rally though.
“It’s going to be strange, I haven’t played cricket in five months, there is no warm up games, we’ve had a couple of rained out trainings, training got rained out today [Monday]…it is what it is everyone is in the same boat,” he said.
He opined that the mental preparation will become increasingly important for the side to hit the ground running.
“I think its strange times but you know your mental preparation becomes more important and how we prepare on the morning is going to be very important,” he stated.
