One of the greatest to take the field for the Black Caps is coming out of international retirement, albeit with a twist.
For a start, Ross Taylor will be wearing the blue of Samoa instead of the black of New Zealand. On top of that, he’ll walk to the middle as Leaupepe Luteru Taylor, his Samoan chief title and first name.
Now 41, Taylor will dust off his kit to play for Samoa at next month’s Twenty20 World Cup qualifiers in Oman, where he’ll face the hosts and Papua New Guinea, in the hope of getting the team to next year’s tournament in India and Sri Lanka.
While Taylor was born in New Zealand, and represented the Black Caps 450 times across three formats, he’s eligible for Samoa through his mother, Lote, who died last year.
Now, more than 1200 days on from his last international, Taylor will make his comeback - if selected.
“It’s been in the pipeline for a few months, so it doesn’t come as a surprise to me,” Taylor told the Herald.
“I’m obviously honoured to represent Samoa, a country close to my heart through my mum. It’s something she was proud of and instilled in us growing up in New Zealand.
“I’ve been trying to give back to the islands in different ways, but I never thought I’d be giving back in a playing capacity.”
Taylor’s commitment to Samoa is a huge boost for the nation, as they aim to reach the T20 World Cup for the first time.
At the time of his retirement, Taylor held the record for the most test and one day international runs for the Black Caps.
And even though his test mark has since fallen to Kane Williamson, his 8607 runs and 21 centuries in ODI cricket are both still New Zealand records.
Naturally, that kind of figure has been welcomed with open arms by his soon-to-be new teammates.
“Having Ross Taylor in the squad is an incredible boost for the team,” Samoa and Auckland all-rounder Sean Solia told the Herald.
"I’ve been lucky or perhaps unlucky enough to face him a couple of times when he played for Central Districts, and I was on the receiving end of his famous slog sweeps many times.
“To share a dressing room with such a cricketing legend is a true career highlight. Ross has long been a role-model for me and has paved the way for cricketers with Pacific heritage.
“We’re all looking forward to learning from him and hopefully that will translate into a successful qualifier tournament to get us to the T20 World Cup.”
Taylor began his international career as a shorter-format specialist before developing into one of the best test batters of his generation. He was the first man to notch a century of appearances in each discipline.
However, the road to playing for Samoa wasn’t easy. Despite his retirement, Taylor had to observe a three-year standdown after his final international appearance for the Black Caps in April 2022.
Once he was given the green light for Samoa’s World Cup qualifiers, he made sure he did everything possible to be ready for next month’s tournament.
“I’m not getting any younger, unfortunately,” added Taylor. “It was about getting my body [ready] and seeing what other commitments I have. I’m retired from international cricket, but you’ve still got to do a day job.
“There were no conflicts leading into it. I thought I could give myself a decent run-in to train and prepare as best as possible.
“I didn’t want to just turn up to the tournament the week before and see what happens.”
Taylor’s switch isn’t without precedent. Former Black Caps fast bowler Murphy Su’a also turned out for Samoa in 2012, as did ex-All Black Ofisa Tonu’u in 2019.
Since hanging up his international boots, Taylor has found opportunities on the Legends circuit, with tournaments based in India and Sri Lanka.
Even though he’s been facing some of the greatest to have played the game, they’re now past their best. Nonetheless, he hopes that level will be comparable to what he’ll face in Oman.
Should Samoa secure a top-three finish, they would advance to the qualification stage of next year’s World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, where Taylor could line up against his former Black Caps teammates.
“It would be very strange,” he joked. “There’s a lot of water to go under the bridge before then.
“First and foremost, it’d be nice to meet a few more of my teammates and try our best in Oman.
“We’ve got a tough draw. But if we can get out of the group stages, anything is possible.
“That’s the ultimate, but it would be quite cool to play against New Zealand if that ever came about.”
Samoa’s World Cup qualification tournament begins on October 8.
Alex Powell is a sports journalist for the NZ Herald. He has been a sports journalist since 2016.