| Personal information | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Steven R Taylor | |||
| Born | 9 November 1993 Hialeah, Florida, USA |
|||
| Batting style | Left-handed batsman | |||
| Bowling style | Right-arm off break | |||
| Role | Middle-order batsman, wicketkeeper | |||
| International information | ||||
| National side | United States of America | |||
| Domestic team information | ||||
| Years | Team | |||
| 2005-present | Florida Cricket Academy | |||
| Career statistics | ||||
| Competition | FC | |||
| Matches | - | |||
| Runs scored | - | |||
| Batting average | - | |||
| 100s/50s | -/- | |||
| Top score | - | |||
| Balls bowled | - | |||
| Wickets | - | |||
| Bowling average | - | |||
| 5 wickets in innings | - | |||
| 10 wickets in match | - | |||
| Best bowling | - | |||
| Catches/stumpings | -/- | |||
| Source: [Cricinfo], 27 December 2011 | ||||
Steven R Taylor (born 9 November 1993 in Hileah, Florida, USA) is an American cricketer. He is the first generation of home grown players in the United States. He is a natural sportsman, and he took up cricket as his career despite performing well in other sports such as soccer and baseball.[1]
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He was born as a South Floridan native, to Jamaican parents, Loveth and Sylvan Taylor. He along with being a fine left-handed batsman was also a competent wicketkeeper. His talent was nurtured at an early age on the sidelines of grounds around Florida by his father. Sylvan, and later by his mentor former USA hard-hitting stroke playing left-handed batsman Mark Johnson. Later, Steven became the first 14 year-old to bang a half century in the South Florida Cricket Alliance (SFCA), Keith Graham Memorial Classic (now the SFCA Sims Cup Classic). Steven’s enterprising knock against Pakistan, while representing a SFCA Youth Team, was decorated with 4 fours and 3 sixes off 33 balls and lasted just 41 minutes. Early in 2008, Steven toured St. Kitts, Nevis, Guyana, Grenada, Barbados and Trinidad & Tobago representing the USA in the ICC Americas Clico Under-15 International Tournament. Steven toured New Zealand with the 2010 USA Under-19 team, and again the same year, he toured Italy with the senior team. Later he represented the senior team again, this time against a touring Jamaica team at the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium in South Florida. Steven, now a prolific scorer in all senior SFCA competitions, recently hit back-to-back double centuries to lead his Florida Cricket Academy to an undefeated record in the Miramar Youth Festival held recently in Miramar, Florida. The young and very talented 17 year-old, took 212 off Big Broward Cricket Academy, before retiring in the first 40 over match of the tournament. The following day, Taylor came back to produce a flawless boundary studded knock of 206 against the Atlanta-based Cricket Academy of USA. In the final match against the Michigan Cricket Academy he scored 51. The stroke playing left-hander, who can be a devastating and ruthless opponent, rich vein of form continued as in the SFCA Sims Classic he hit a blazing undefeated 87 against India, and in his most recent knock, he took a sparkling 75 off Pakistan. He is the youngest player in the SFCA Premier Division, and idolized former West Indies captain Brian Lara, Chris Gayle and on the local scene, Mark Johnson. Steven is looking forward one day to representing the West Indies and when that happens, he will be setting his sites on breaking Lara’s test record. His performances in the domestic league prompted people to say that he was one for the future.[2]
Steven Taylor's first major assignment was the 2010 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup in New Zealand, in which he was selected due to wonderful performances. He played in the tournament as a wicketkeeper-batsman.[3] He was 17th on the list of highest dismissals, with two to his name.[4] He also scored 73 runs in the tournament, inclusive of an innings of 57 against the Ireland U-19s.[5]
More recently, Taylor was selected as vice-captain for the ICC Americas Under-19 Championship held in their own ground at Florida, in the 2010-11 season. He was also the wicketkeeper-batsman on that tournament.[6] USA won that tournament unbeaten,[7] and Taylor too had a successful tournament finishing third on the top run-getters' list with 157 runs from 5 games with a top score of 83,[8] and also topped the most dismissals' list with 7 dismissals (5 catches, 2 stumpings) from 5 games.[9]
Following his brilliant performances in the domestic and Under-19 arena, he was finally given the much-expected call-up to play in USA's 2010 ICC World Cricket League Division Four campaign, where they had gained promotion from Division Five.[10] USA won the tournament, demolishing Italy in the final,[11] with Taylor starring through-out the tournament.
In the 2011 ICC World Cricket League Division Three, however, USA could not replicate their past success, finishing 5th out of 6 teams.[12] They were thus relegated back to Division Four. Taylor did not keep in this tournament, as Carl Wright was selected to keep wickets for the USA, but Taylor did bat in the tournament, and was quite okay, considering the fact of the whole team's performance. However, his captain Steve Massiah had a far, far better tournament than him.
Steven is currently attending the Miramar High School, in Miramar, South Florida. Cricket is his first love but he also enjoys American football, basketball and softball. When relaxing, he likes to listen to reggae and soca music. Steven, who has every shot in the book and a few of his own, is a big plus for USA cricket, and definitely one for the future.[13]