Taylor blossoms in SA

brendon_taylor2PRETORIA While the Zimbabwe Crickets South Africa tour might not be going according to plan, the impressive performance of opening batsman Brendan Taylor during some of the limited overs matches is a plus that should boost the side hopes as they prepare for the 2011 ICC cricket World Cup. (Pictured: Brendan Taylor)

Taylor, widely regarded as the most talented batsman in the side at the moment, has won the hearts of many cricket followers here after his commanding display of clinical batting, which however was not enough to save his side from a 0 2 series defeat at the hands of South Africa.

And despite finding themselves on the losing end, Zimbabwe was once again very competitive during both matches, forcing the more experienced South Africans to sweat for victory all the way.

Taylors class was especially evident in the second match, which saw him playing a critical role in both the bowling and batting departments.

The powerful hitting batsman smashed 59 runs in just 39 balls during an innings that became the highlight of Zimbabwes unsuccessful attempt to chase down a target of 195 runs.

His batting exploits came after he had taken a wicket at the expense of just 16 runs during the South African innings.

Cricket commentator and former Zimbabwe national team fast bowler Mpumelelo Mbangwa who is now based in South Africa said Taylor was maturing into a world class batsman.

He is always in devastating form, no matter which side Zimbabwe is up against. He has shown his class and it is clear that he is very valuable to the side as they try to prepare for the World Cup next year, said Mbangwa.

Zimbabwe skipper Elton Chigumbura also heaped praise on Taylor and pointed out that his form would help to stabilize the batting order.

It has been a good tour for him and I hope that the team will be motivated by Brendans performance. South Africa are one of the best in the world and although we lost both matches, we were competitive which is important for us going forward, said Chigumbura.

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