Ross Taylor acknowledged in Queen's Birthday honours for contributions to cricket, Pacific communities

Veteran New Zealand batter Ross Taylor has been acknowledged in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for his services to the game and Pacific communities. The senior batter hung up his shoes from the international arena in April this year and has been made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the Queen’s Birthday Honours.

Taylor is one of the greatest batters to have ever played the game of cricket for the Kiwis. The right-handed batter played several memorable knocks not only for his country but also on the domestic circuits and even franchise-based tournaments including the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

New Zealand Cricket sends wishes to Ross Taylor

“Congratulations Ross! Ross Taylor has been recognized for services to cricket and Pacific communities, being made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM) in the Queen’s Birthday Honours,” BlackCaps tweeted.

Talking about Taylor’s international career, the veteran batter has played as many as 236 ODI matches and has amassed a total of 8607 runs at an excellent average of 47.55. Taylor has stroked 51 fifties and 21 centuries in the 50-over format. In Test cricket, the 38-year-old has played a total of 112 matches and has stroked 7683 runs at a good average of 44.66. The Wellington-born batter played some memorable knocks for the BlackCaps in the longest format of the game and stroked 35 fifties and 19 centuries.

Taylor had some significant contributi0ns in the T20I format as well. The right-handed batter played 102 T20Is for New Zealand and scored a total of 1909 runs at a good strike rate of 122.37. He finished his international career with 18199 runs, including 40 centuries and 86 half-centuries, across all formats.

The veteran batter represented a number of teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and played a total of 55 matches and scored 1017 runs. Taylor was instrumental in the rise of New Zealand cricket over the years. He was also part of the successful World Test Championship 2019 – 2021 campaign.