ROSS TAYLOR HOPES TO MAKE MOST OF BATTING OPPORTUNITIES AS RAJASTHAN BIDS FOR LAST FOUR

New Zealand’s most accomplished batsman in their present line-up, Ross Taylor, believes that he has it in him to make the most of his new found role of finisher in the batting department.

Taylor, who has captained the team in the absence of Daniel Vettori, in the One Day format, is currently representing the champions of the first edition of the Indian Premier League Rajasthan Royals at the fourth season of the cash rich league.  

The Royals registered an impressive win over one of the most fancied teams in the league Mumbai Indians. After restricting the Indians to 94, the Royals romped home with plenty to spare, which meant that Taylor only needed to score 13 runs at the end of the innings.

Taylor though stated later that he was enjoying his stint in the league and the new found role is a real challenge for him, as he bids to advance his game and become a world class talent, which he has threatened to in the last few years.

"It is probably something that has been put upon me over the last three or four years", Taylor said. "It is different. It is not a role I do for my team back home in New Zealand or for New Zealand at international level but it is something I do enjoy".

He added that it was a tough ask to hit the ball from the outset in any format of the game and at present there are very few players in any team at present, who can make that kind of an impact on a consistent basis.

He added that ideally a batsman must spend some time at the crease before going into top gear and he needs to make most of the starts, as that was the only way to blossom and make most of the situation even in the shortest format of the game.

"There are not many batsmen who can come out and smack the ball from ball one and do it consistently. So you still have to give yourself a chance. It depends on many runs you have to get and how many balls you have to go. Then you can decide how many balls you have to get in".

Meanwhile, the Royals have had an indifferent season thus far. They have recorded some one-sided wins yet have been on the receiving end of some heavy defeats also.

They are currently placed at the fifth position in the ten team league and have a total of seven points from seven games.

In the wake of the present situation, Taylor reckons that the point gained from the rained-out game against Royal Challengers Bangalore might be the crucial bid that helps them sneak ahead in the knock out stage.

Taylor added that the upcoming games are real tough ones for his team and they need to make the most of the matches against bigger teams such as, Chennai and Mumbai, who have shown glimpses of their potential.

"We have Mumbai and Chennai, home and away, over our next seven games and they are first and second in the table so it is going to be a tough road ... but we have four games at home and we know how to play at home so hopefully we can show that".

The IPL ends on 28^th May, and Taylor would be hoping that he has silverware in his hands at the final of the biggest cricket league in the world.

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John Wright upbeat about New Zealand Cricket future

New Zealand coach, John Wright, believes that his team has the depth and talent to re-emerge, as more than a threat at the international level following an impressive World Cup show.

The perennial ‘semi-finalists’ made it to the last four of the recently concluded tournament against all odds. There performance was great when put into perspective of the fact that they had a wretched run leading up to the tournament and that they were the only team besides the three Asian giants to make it to the semi-finals of the World Cup.

Wright, who had a successful stint at the helm of the Indian team a few years ago, took charge of the Kiwis two months before the World Cup, and oversaw Test and One Day International (ODI) series losses against Pakistan.

The Kiwis were ranked outsiders for the showpiece International Cricket Council (ICC) event, yet surprised everyone by reaching the last four, brushing aside pre-tournament favourites, South Africa, in a dramatic quarter-final in Bangladesh.

"Losing the semi-final was bitterly disappointing but I hope the team has learnt", Wright said. "I think it has grown. What's important is that we just played as hard as we could with what we had, with the resources we had. Seeing a team start to believe in themselves and in each other. The fight they showed tells you the team can get better. We have the opportunities at this stage to get better".

There has been another major appointment in New Zealand Cricket (NZC) set-up, as the Board has hired the services of former Australian coach, John Buchanan.

Speaking last week, before the appointment of John Buchanan, as the Director of Cricket, Wright chose not to comment on his role and whether he would have influence on matters pertaining to the team that Wright would take to the field in the months ahead.

The Kiwis have some top class cricket on their way. They are set to travel to Australia at the end of the years and follow that up by hosting South Africa next season.

Besides these two major assignments they are also set to encounter lowly ranked Zimbabwe and West Indies in early 2012.

Meanwhile, Wright is impressed with the talent that is at his disposal in New Zealand he thinks that the future of the game is bright with many youngsters knocking on the door of international cricket.

The former captain and opening batsman has signed a two-year stint as NZC's high performance manager and he thinks that the next generation of New Zealand cricket have the talent, will, and, determination to make it big when their time comes.

"We have got maybe five or six kids that really show a lot of potential", he said. "I have been really impressed with some of the talent I have seen in the last couple of years in under-17 and under-19 tournaments. I know that as long as we can put a playing programme in place that challenges the guys coming through and bridges the gap between first-class and international cricket, the ones that really want to make it, we could hopefully hold our own".

Besides Buchanan and Wright, New Zealand Cricket, has also hired the services of legendary South African fast bowler, Allan Donald. Donald was with the team at the World Cup and started his stint at the beginning of the ODI series against Pakistan earlier in the year.

These three stalwarts are expected to bring improvement to New Zealand and make them a real force, which they have threatened to be for a long time.

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JOHN BUCHANAN LIKELY TO BECOME NEW ZEALAND’S DIRECTOR OF CRICKET

Former Australian coach John Buchanan is expected to become the Director of Cricket of New Zealand. According to reports, Chief Executive Officer of the New Zealand Cricket Board, Justin Vaughn is in talks with Buchanan for the important post in order to boost the sport.

Buchanan became popular while he was the coach of the Australian team from 1999 until the ICC World Cup 2007 held in the Caribbean. He is considered as the most successful coach in the history of the game, as the Australian team became invincible during his tenure. He helped the Kangaroos win three World Cups on the trot.

Vaughn confirmed the news and said that Buchanan has an extremely impressive track record and New Zealand cricket officials are in talks with him. The CEO stated that he is considering some other big names as well, which cannot be disclosed at the moment. However, a name will be shortlisted until the coming Friday.

"I can certainly confirm we've met with John. He's got great credentials for the role but we've spoken to a few candidates and ultimately there will be a recommendation made to the New Zealand Cricket board on Friday," Vaughn said.

New Zealand cricket has gone through turmoil since the last year as they faced humiliating defeats against Bangladesh, India and Pakistan in limited overs cricket as well as the longer version of the game. The worst defeat came against Bangladesh when the minnows whitewashed them and won the One Day International series by 4-0.

However, the Black Caps did a better job in the ICC World Cup 2011 as they reached the semi-final stage of the showpiece event.

Buchanan called it a day from the post of the Australian coach after the ICC World Cup 2007 and since then the Aussies have struggled in international cricket and are no more the best team of the world.

New Zealand cricket officials will be hoping that a big name like Buchanan can change the fortunes of the Kiwi team and that they can become a force in international cricket in the years to come.

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