Cricket: Taylor welcomes IPL decision

Black Caps batsman Ross Taylor was not sure if he would have travelled to India to play in the IPL. Photo / Getty Images

Ross Taylor is no soldier of fortune.

So news today that Indian Premier League (IPL) commissioner Lalit Modi has confirmed South Africa as the country to stage the lucrative Twenty20 cricket tournament there is godsend.

"If you're dead you can't earn any money. Life's obviously more important than earning cash," the batsman told SportToday in an exclusive interview at the Black Caps' motel in Napier.

The New Zealand Cricket Players Association had kept him and other IPL players informed of safety and security matters following a terrorist attack on the Sri Lanka cricket team's bus during their tour of Pakistan. The Caps were half way through a one-day match against the touring Indians in Napier on March 3 (NZ time) when news of injured players and dead security officers rocked the world.

"I was still not sure whether I was going to go or not. If they said it was safe I would have gone and if they said no then I wouldn't have. It's good to be taken out of our hands and for it to be played in South Africa or England."

England was in the equation but it's perennial miserable weather this time of the year makes it an unlikely choice. While India would have savoured the "home support" of thousands of Asians living there they would have been mindful of Britain's record as a region that is also susceptible to acts of terrorism.

Add to that TV rights and England Cricket Board's embarrassing Twenty20 scenario with Texan billionaire Allen Standford, accused of fraud in the United States, and South Africa is a done deal for almost $100 million at a time the world is coming to grips with a recession.

The IPL tournament will be played in South Africa from April 18.

Modi, who met with Cricket South Africa chief executive Gerald Majola yesterday, said in an Associated Press report: "The overwhelming reason we chose South Africa is primarily the weather."

He also said South Africa had first-class facilities and excellent administration.

England and South Africa were the two candidates to host the lucrative event. The tournament is being moved for security reasons because it clashes with general elections in India. In South Africa, elections are set for April 22.

"The decision to move the tournament outside India was one of the hardest decisions the board has taken," said Modi, noting that Indian fans were disappointed, but that TV coverage for them would include live broadcasts of key matches.

Taylor said while cricket paid well and they were looked after, it was a weird feeling when the Sri Lankans were attacked.

His friends and relatives were initially concerned about him going to India.

"Terrorism is part of what's in the world at the moment and it could happen anywhere.

"As it is, it's happening a lot in Asia and, hopefully, doesn't spread to other parts of the world."

The Bangalore Royal Chargers player, who turned 25 on March 8, lamented the thought of not going to India from a culture and atmosphere perspective.

"There's also a bit of sadness as well because going to India and playing in front of those big crowds who are passionate about the game.

"Hopefully it's just this year and we can go back next year to India and give the crowds there what they've come to see and deserve."

Nevertheless, focusing on tomorrow's test match against the Indians, who are touring here after turning down the tour to Pakistan following the Mumbai bombing last year, is a more pressing engagement for Taylor and the Caps.

While the transition from the popular abbreviated versions of the game to test matches was difficult for the players, it could not be used as an excuse for their poor performance in their 10-wicket loss in the first test in Hamilton last week.

It was harder for batsmen than bowlers, who had to tweak their line and length and perhaps stamina.

"You bowl a good ball and it still goes for four and it's frustrating for the bowler. We know that more often than not if we can hit the right areas then we'll give ourselves a chance and those half chances that probably were created in Hamilton can go our way in Napier."

A game of patience was vital, he said, but other teams seemed to have more of it in their reservoir than the predominantly young Caps who needed time to settle in.

"Once that happens I'm sure there'll be a few failures along the way but, hopefully, we can stick with them (young) and the perseverance will pay off in the long run."

Learning from some of the world's best batsman in exciting times was crucial too.

"They are beatable and there are some areas where we can exploit them but we need to drastically improve on some areas," says the right-hander who had a great one-day season in the past six months but has hit a plateau for almost a year in the five-day affair.

"I've got a few starts and haven't kicked on and test matches are about batting for long periods of time and scoring hundreds.

"It doesn't matter if you get 40s, 50s or even 60s. It doesn't really help towards the team goal if the opposition's scoring in excess of 400 or 450 (runs)," said Taylor who intends to score a "big ones" in the next two tests.

- HAWKE'S BAY TODAY