Steven Taylor (American cricketer)

Steven Ryan Taylor (born November 9, 1993) is an American international cricketer.^[1]

Career

Early years

He was born in South Florida to Jamaican parents, Loveth and Sylvan Taylor. Along with being a left-handed batsman he was also a wicketkeeper. He was taught at an early age on the sidelines of grounds around Florida by his father, Sylvan, and later by his mentor, former USA left-handed batsman Mark Johnson. Later, Steven became the first 14-year-old to hit a half century in the South Florida Cricket Alliance (SFCA), Keith Graham Memorial Classic (now the SFCA Sims Cup Classic). This innings, against Pakistan, while representing a SFCA Youth Team, included with 4 fours and 3 sixes off 33 balls and lasted just 41 minutes. He 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 knock of 206 against the Atlanta-based Cricket Academy of USA. In the final match against the Michigan Cricket Academy he scored 51. In the SFCA Sims Classic he hit an undefeated 87 against India, and 75 off Pakistan. He is the youngest player in the SFCA Premier Division.^[2]

U-19 career

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 great performances. He played in the tournament as a wicketkeeper-batsman.^[3][4]

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.^[5] USA won that tournament unbeaten,^[6] 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,^[7] and also topped the most dismissals' list with 7 dismissals (5 catches, 2 stumpings) from 5 games.^[8]

International career

Following his great performances in the domestic and Under-19 arena, he was given the call-up to play in USA's 2010 ICC World Cricket League Division Four campaign, where they had gained promotion from Division Five.^[9] USA won the tournament, demolishing Italy in the final,^[10] with Taylor playing throughout 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.^[11] They were thus relegated back to Division Four.

In 2012 Taylor was selected as to be a part of the United States national cricket team at the 2012 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier in the UAE in March 2012.^[12] Later in the same year he was selected for the 2012 ICC World Cricket League Division Four which takes place from September 3 to 10, 2012 in Malaysia.

Taylor became the first U.S. batsman to record a century in Twenty20 competition in the 2013 ICC World Cricket League Americas Region Twenty20 Division One tournament in March 2013. He scored 101 off 62 balls against Bermuda.^[13] He added a second century when he scored 127 not out against the Cayman Islands.^[14]

Later in the year, he represented the United States in the 2013 ICC World Cricket League Division Three, where he led all batters with 274 runs, for a run rate of 45.66. He scored a century in that tournament when he scored 162 in the opening match against Nepal.^[15]

Taylor was named in America's squad for the 2015 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier, but withdrew after securing a contract with Barbados Tridents in the Caribbean Premier League.^[16] He is included in the draft of foreign players for final of Pakistan Super League 2017 at Gaddafi Stadium Lahore to bring back cricket back to Pakistan. In the draft for the 2017 Caribbean Premier League, he was picked in round 8 by the Guyana Amazon Warriors, securing a $30,000 contract.^[17]

On May 30, 2017, during the third-place playoff in the 2017 ICC World Cricket League Division Three tournament, Taylor scored his 1,000th run in one-day cricket, becoming the fourth player for the United States to reach the landmark.^[18]

References