Ross Taylor is a former New Zealand cricketing sensation making a spectacular comeback to the international stage in an unexpected twist. The former BlackCaps batter, who played 112 Tests, 236 ODIs, and 102 T20Is in total, has now officially declared that he is returning to play not as part of New Zealand but on behalf of the Samoa team in the upcoming Asia-East Asia-Pacific T20 World Cup 2026 Qualifier in Oman. Samoa will use this tournament as the last stage to qualify for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, which will be held in India and Sri Lanka.
In his Instagram post, Ross Taylor, 41, announced that he is very proud to be the representative of his heritage. “Coming out of retirement. I am officially pulling on the blue, and I will be representing Samoa in the sport of cricket. It is not only a comeback to the game I enjoy but a tremendous honour to feature my heritage, culture, villages, and family,” he wrote.
The right-handed batter can play on behalf of Samoa as he is a son of Samoan heritage with a Samoan passport. Following the three-year gap since his last appearance on a New Zealand team in April 2022, Taylor was then eligible to play on a second national team.
Throughout his glittering international career with New Zealand, Taylor collected more than 18,000 total runs in all formats, and 1,909 of these in T20Is, with a strike rate of 122.37. He made a name as one of the most reliable and regarded batters in contemporary cricket, having participated in seven seasons of the Indian Premier League and five seasons of the Caribbean Premier League.
The reemergence of Taylor not only adds to the strength of the Samoa squad but also draws attention to the rising pattern of players returning to their countries of origin after playing with major cricketing nations.
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