Black Caps v Zimbabwe: Brendan Taylor set to return after three-year ban

Former Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor celebrating a century at the ODI 2015 World Cup. Photo / Photosport

Former Zimbabwe cricket captain Brendan Taylor is set to face the Black Caps just days after his three-and-a-half-year ban from cricket is lifted, according to reports.

Taylor was handed the ban in 2022 for breaching the ICC’s anti-corruption code after he admitted to taking money from match-fixers in India – but claimed he never fixed or manipulated games.

His ban officially expires on Saturday, after which he will be named in the Zimbabwe test squad to face the Black Caps, with the first test beginning on July 30, Cricinfo reports.

The 39-year-old has previously played 34 tests including leading Zimbabwe to a close defeat to the Black Caps in 2011, in which he scored a century in the fourth innings before the home side fell 34 runs short of victory.

Taylor admitted he took money from match-fixers who tried to blackmail him into manipulating international games with a secret video of him using cocaine on a visit to India in 2019.

Even though he took US$15,000 ($25,000) from the fixers, Taylor said he never fixed or manipulated games.

Taylor said he was invited to India to discuss a sponsorship opportunity in October 2019. At a dinner with businessmen, he was offered cocaine and “foolishly took the bait”.

“The following morning, the same men entered my hotel room to show me a video taken of me the night before doing cocaine and told me that if I did not partake in spot fixing at international matches, the video would be released to the public,” Taylor said.

Taylor said he took the US$15,000 from the men, who said it was now a “deposit” for him to fix and they promised him another US$20,000 ($33,500) once the fixing “job” was complete.

Taylor took four months to report the incident to the ICC and accepted that was against cricket’s anti-corruption rules.

The Black Caps and Zimbabwe will play a two-test series with both matches taking place in Bulawayo.

Zimbabwe have already named a 16-man squad which includes four changes following a 2-0 series defeat to South Africa last month, with Ben Curran, Sikandar Raza, Roy Kaia and Tanunurwa Makoni joining the side. Cricinfo reports Taylor is expected to be added to the squad.

Taylor told Cricinfo in March that he has been using facilities at an elite independent school in Harare, preparing for his return.

“I still want to play and I believe I could make an impact as a player,” he said.

“I look at where I’m at physically and mentally and if I didn’t feel I could do it, I wouldn’t bother. Givemore [Makoni, managing director of Zimbabwe Cricket] has really supported me on this. He sort of shut down the coaching role for now and said, ‘Can you play and try to push yourself up until the 2027 World Cup?’ Granted I’ll be 41 then but with sobriety, I’m living my truest form.”