Last Updated on 4 years by Charbel Coorey
Keen to play 2023 World Cup in India: Ross Taylor | NZ batsman Ross Taylor aiming to play until the 2023 ODI World Cup at least
Ross Taylor has dropped a hit of not retiring before the ICC 2023 ODI World Cup as he feels it will be “definitely on the radar” for him. In a media interaction after the New Zealanders landed Auckland, the captain said that 2023 is going to be a stretch for him.
“I think, at the best of times, when it was (supposed to be held in) February and March. And now, the World Cup has been dragged out to October and November ’23, it’s another six or seven months to hang around. You’ve got to have short-term goals and long-term goals and the one-day World Cup is definitely on the radar. I might have to trim things back leading into that – I’m not getting any younger. It doesn’t mean I will make it, but, it’s definitely one of my goals”, he said.
The 36-year-old is also about to hit another milestone in the coming days. In five games, he will be the country’s most capped international player crossing Daniel Vettori’s 437-game mark. NZ is gearing up for home series against West Indies, wherein the teams will clash for three T20Is and two test matches.
“I was really happy to play one or two games for New Zealand,” he said. “I’ve still got to get there first, but my mentor, Martin Crowe, always used to say records are meant to be broken for the next guy to come beat. Whatever number of games I end up on, hopefully, Kane [Williamson, who has 291 caps] and whoever comes through can beat that and keep setting the bar higher.”
If the 2020 calendar would have turned out as planned, he would have already reached the milestone. Talking about the long break from the hectic schedule imposed due to the pandemic, Taylor feels desperate to get back to playing. “When you’re a parent, it’s nice to have your kids around, but you’ve normally got a little bit of your mind on the game you’re playing in a couple of days’ time,” he said. “To have a complete break away from that and not have the excuse to that you’ve got a game in a couple of days’ time and to be present with my family was something I’ll never forget.
“But, at the same time, you’re only a cricketer for a certain period of time, and I’m not getting any younger, so I’ve got to make the most of every opportunity I can.”
Written by Anjali Jha. Follow Anjali on Twitter today.
