Taylor's Moment of Truth

by Matt Gartside

 

Since the start of Australia's successful 1989 ashes campaign, there have been 43 centuries made by Australian batsmen against the old enemy. Most have been "cash in's" against less than wonderful bowling and some, like Michael Slater's Sydney offering in 1999, have been explosive counter-attacks.

 

However my favourite Ashes hundred, and probably the one that I will most cherish as a patriotic Australian, was the century made by Mark Taylor at Edgbaston, in the series opener.

 

Leading into the test match, Australia had been handed a decent old flogging by England in the Texaco Trophy series, a humiliating 3-0 rout which bode well for a bouyant England's chances of getting the much sought after early series lead. Also, an extraordinary amount of speculation concerned the Australian captain who, remarkably, had not passed 50 in his last twenty test match innings. If not for a dropped catch by Dean Jones when Australia played Derbyshire in a pre-test warm up, Taylor (who, utterly frustrated with his batting, told batting partner Justin Langer "that's it, I'm finished" following this lucky break) may not have even played in the first test at all!!

 

I listened nervously to the first over of the test match (ball one, from Gough, beat Taylor's outside edge) and was soon devastated - following a forceful backfoot drive off Devon Malcolm, Taylor then edged the same bowler to slip: Taylor, Caught Butcher, Bowled Malcolm - 7. These seven runs turned out to be quite handy though, as they often are when your teams slumps to 8 for 54!!!! After hearing the wickets of Taylor, Elliott and Mark Waugh, I turned my radio off in utter dismay. After channel surfing, I gamely, and carefully, turned it back on, only to hear that Jason Gillespie had just been dismissed....JASON GILLESPIE??????!!! The aforementioned 8 for 54 was the next piece of news delivered.

 

Australia all out 118. England replied with five million, Nasser Hussain playing a wonderful attacking innings, a murderous exhibition of hitting. Graeme Thorpe also dined out, dismissed for 138. His contribution, and Hussain's 207, meant that Australia now trailed by some 360 runs on the first innings.

 

A Mark Taylor failure surely meant that his test match career was over. A relatively comfortable start was made by Taylor and Elliott, although the skipper spooned a pull shot just wide of mid wicket before the lunch break. After the break, a startling metamorphosis took place - although scratchy, the captain looked slightly more assured, as he gamely attempted to prevent an early clatter of wickets. Finally, Taylor raised his bat to the crowd for the first time since early in 1996 (where he last made a half century, vs Sri Lanka in Perth). Despite losing Elliott at 133, Taylor nudged and worked his way around the ground, it's spectators appreciating a dogged response from a pillioried test captain.

 

As Taylor approached, and subsequently reached, the nervous 90's, I began to feel extremely nervous, praying that somehow Taylor would will himself to a century. On reflection, I had never been so on edge while supporting any Australian sportsperson. A legside push here, a cheekly single there ............. finally "Tubby" was on 99. A push to cover of Andrew Caddick did the trick, and as Taylor ran to the non-striker's end, tears welled in my eyes. As no-one was in my house at the time, I felt free to scream "Yeeeeeeeeeeeeees" and applaud with as big a hand clap as I could manage. Minutes later stumps was called and, despite my bedside alarm clock reading 3:00am, sleep was the very last thing I was contemplating.

Yep, I went to bed a pretty happy boy, delighted that an unfashionable, but highly popular cricketer and man has slayed his personal dragon. The following day, a proud nation basked in their skipper's glory, as he made the news headlines for (finally!!) the right reason.

 

Mark Anthony Taylor,of Leeton,was never a highly excitable, dynamic or pretty batsman. Maybe it privately irked him that our next generation did not wish to become "the next Taylor", but rather the next Slater, Ponting, M. or S Waugh. However on that unforgettable night in June 1997, Taylor won the hearts of his countrymen, from the young to the old. Trust me, I was one of them.

 

 

Jenny Todd, Grand Daughter of England Great Harold Larwood tells us about her relationship with her GrandFather.

 

Michael Walsh writes about the 1948 Australian team and the Headingley Test

 

Matt Gartside writes about Mark Taylor's moment of truth in June 1997