New Zealand cricket great Ross Taylor to come out of retirement to play for Samoa  

New Zealand cricket great Ross Taylor will come out of retirement to play for Samoa at the Twenty20 World Cup qualifying tournament in Oman next month.

Taylor retired from international cricket in 2022 after playing more matches for New Zealand than any other player: 112 tests, 236 one-day internationals and 102 T20 internationals.

He remains second behind Kane Williamson on New Zealand’s all-time test scoring list with 7,683 runs and second, also behind Williamson, with 19 test centuries.

Taylor’s mother, Lote, was born in Samoa. Taylor will play under his given names and chiefly title as Leaupepe Luteru Ross Poutoa Lote Taylor.

Now 41, Taylor answered the call of his friend, former Black Cap Tarun Nethula, to join Samoa at the qualifying tournament. Samoa will play Papua New Guinea for a place at next year’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.

“It’s quite a powerful thing when players are asking you to come out of retirement and help them,” Taylor told the Stuff news website.

“I’m no spring chicken but I’m sure I’m still fit enough to run around the boundary.”