Cricket: Taylor favoured as skipper

Ross Taylor. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Ross Taylor, in spite of a growing public preference for Brendon McCullum, will most likely become New Zealand captain when Daniel Vettori steps aside after the World Cup.

Generally, the candidates for the job are genial and courteous to each other, standing together at the start of the Black Caps' slip cordon. By the end of the summer, they will be vying for one of New Zealand sport's most high profile jobs.

No other candidates are qualified - McCullum and Taylor are both guaranteed spots in every cricketing format and have their team-mates' respect. However, they are coming at the job from different perspectives; both with strong claims.

Taylor has the advantage of being the official heir apparent as vice-captain. Any opportunities, like when Vettori is rested, mean Taylor steps up to gain experience. He has had limited chances but did lead New Zealand to the Twenty20 series win over Pakistan late last month.

Crucially, his batting is significantly better when he leads the team compared to when he doesn't (see factbox).

It is difficult to know much about Taylor as a tactician and strategist yet. He appears to lead from the front, doing his talking with his bat and hands rather than his mouth.

But Taylor has struggled on the media side of the job. What the public have seen, heard and read of him, differs from Taylor's real personality. In the public eye, he can appear awkward and cliched in his responses to questions, despite a willingness to co-operate.

In private, Taylor is warm and engaging, witty and generous. If he can unlock some of that gregarious side to his personality, he will become a genuine public hero.

Too few are aware of the Indian Premier League US$1 million man's grounding away from the top levels of the sport. That's how the Samoan cricketing fraternity received bags of Black Caps gear to pass on to their flock in recent seasons and how new appliances randomly appear on the doorstep of the family home in Masterton. He's also been known to shout the odd bucket of KFC as a reward for a big score.

Curiously, Taylor has been groomed for captaincy before. Ten years ago, an article appeared on cricinfo.com saying the youngest player in the New Zealand under-19s side, 16-year-old Central Districts batsman Ross Taylor, had been named vice-captain. His captain? Otago wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum.

That illustrates how McCullum could have an advantage. At 29, he has four more years' experience than Taylor (26) at international level - although longevity is never the best gauge in assessing seniority.

Taylor exhibits Andrew Strauss tendencies - cerebral, considered and a safe pair of hands (including at first slip); an appointment capable of doing the job justice and setting an example.

If Taylor is Straussian, McCullum probably comes more from the Ian Chappell ilk. His captaincy is likely to be aggressive and positive with a "follow me" flavour. There would be few grey areas and it's doubtful any test tenure would have too many marks in the 'draw' column.

McCullum would also bring publicity; some scintillating and some to leave fans aghast.

As former Australian spinner-now-commentator Kerry O'Keefe once said of Chappell after their successful 1972-73 tour of the West Indies: "He thought P and R were two letters late in the alphabet."

McCullum admitted as much to this newspaper in August, talking about how he struggled after being dropped as vice-captain: "Dan is disciplined whereas I'm more of a gambler. For instance, with our test approach, I'd be inclined to be more aggressive and push the boundaries rather than just getting better skills, because we are not getting the results we want against bigger nations."

McCullum's dropping as vice-captain has never been fully explained. Some suggestions were that "Bazza's" ebullient personality had been holding too much sway in the dressing room. That perception, however, came from the then management team (that was in the Andy Moles days) and not from Vettori - he and McCullum get on well.

McCullum's prospects are again on the rise with New Zealand's floundering of late and accusations the team has lacked inspiration under their best player, Vettori. Judging from his recent book, it appears McCullum learnt some valuable lessons about his role in the team when he was demoted.

He said he "cringes at the thought of his obstinacy" during that time and realised he was not indispensable.

Such new-found maturity probably should find him at the head of the top table - but those who select international cricket team captains generally err on the side of conservatism.