The average Blast, IPL or BBL batsman in the 5/6 batting position will go at a Strike Rate of 130 (The top 10% go at 173). Jack Taylor the last four years goes at an overall strike rate of 143, chasing this goes up considerably to 166 which is outstanding. Setting it’s a rather middling 127.

When you compare Taylor’s record to others in the 5 or 6 position only it stacks up very well and he is among elite company.

Taylor ranks 19th/108 for batsman in the 5-6 position in the last four seasons, Blast, BBL and IPL (minimum faced 100 balls)

No surprises to see Andre Russell and Hardik Pandya at the top in terms of strike rate. In the 5/6 slot I have ranked by strike rate as there are too many not outs to make average a particularly useful metric. Six percentage or balls per wicket would be a more useful stat instead.

(On a side note, Will Fraine, can probably consider himself rather unlucky not to be drafted.)

Any how Taylor comes out 19^th of 108 players. Everyone else in the list has had lots of chance at international or franshise level to showcase there skills and I think Taylor can feel a little bit aggrieved he has not had the chance yet. If you look at the players that Taylor is ahead of names such as M. Marsh, Pant, Karthik, Pooran, Buttler, Pollard, Billings and Dhoni you see a player that has been consistently very good over four seasons in his role lower middle order / finisher role.

A World Class Chaser

Below we are looking at all players in the Blast, IPL and BBL batting in the 5th and 6th position in the last four seasons who have faced at least 100 balls whilst chasing. This is the reason you want Jack Taylor in your team. Arguably his greatest skill set in T20 has been getting his team over the line and ending up on the winning side, and as a result his strike rate in the 2nd innings is the 6th best of those three leagues.

This is a who's who of franchise cricket, Russell, Morgan, Hodge, Clarke, Narine, Striling, Pandya, Pooran, Russell, De Villiers, Roy, Pollard, Finch and Jack Taylor.

A lack of exposure to spin bowling

One of the drawbacks at coming in so late in the innings is exposure. Taylor’s average innings lasts 11.36 balls over 44 innings. The average Blast top 4 batsman over the same period faces 22 balls. Over four seasons Taylor is yet to register a half century. Coming in late in the innings and hitting sixes is one of the most valued skills. When you look at Taylor’s statistics in the death overs, 16-20, only 11.8% of his deliveries have been against spin. I think Taylor could probably do with coming in at the four slot for several reasons. 

Moving up the Order?

At 29, he is now in the peak of his career, one of the more experienced players and can start taking on a bit more responsibility. Playing some match winning 40s, 50s and 60s from the four position.

Secondly, his record in List A versus spin is excellent so I would see no harm in him coming in and setting up the game before launching at the death. This would also put to bed the questions that remain about his ability to play spin from lack of exposure over the last four seasons and prove his value as a batting all rounder to franchises.

Limited opportunities in 2020

Last season’s opportunities were limited for two key reasons.

The Gloucestershire top 3 was extremely strong, Cockbain, Dent and Hammond leading the way. Therefore, Taylor only faced on average only 10.27 balls per game and secondly captain Taylor couldn’t win a toss and kept getting sent into bat. When you look at Taylor’s record over the last four seasons there is an interesting anomaly, his strike rate is far better in the 2^nd innings, 166. In the 1^st innings when setting, it is 127. 

Taylor is one of the best players at seeing home chases and getting his side over the line. When you look at the first innings last season these were four not outs. Had he entered at 4 all of a sudden we are looking at potentially four match winning knocks. His 27 not out off 16 v Worcs last season cou ld have been transformed to a 50+ off 30 ball innings. With such a strong top three for Gloucestershire I think a move to the four slot for the captain and taking on a bit more batting responsibility for setting large totals would be a natural fit for himself and the team.

Two dimensional cricketer?

One of the obvious steps to raise your profile would be to be able to bowl spin for specific match ups. Players such as Livingstone, Labuschange, Denly, and Short have become useful spin options for their teams and franchises. Taylor used to bowl offbreak but has been banned three times subsequently for an illegal action. He has gone on record to say in 2018 and again this year that he has been working on his legbreaks in the nets and it is ready to be unleashed in the 2nd X1 and in the Blast this season. If he can now re-discover his form with the ball then this could be a game changer for his t20 career.

  Wild card?

There are eight wild cards after the t20 blast group stage and I am sure Taylor will have his eye on one of these as one of the best domestic bats on the circuit. Lots of players will be vying for these spots, so you could see increased risk taking next season and subsequently an increase in scoring rates. The best players will adapt and up their personal statistics whilst scoring runs and winning games for their team. Will Taylor be able to do this…. I hope so…. He’s a very talented player as he has showcased on the big stage such as the 2015 Royal London one day cup.

Looking forward to 2021 : The Gameplan

First of all, Jack Taylor's priority will always be focused on the most important thing, that is to win as many games for Gloucestershire as possible and hopefully go all the way to the Blast title. In order to help Gloucestershire achieve their goals and accelerate his personal development, these would be my recommendations to help take his T20 game to the next level and start to attract franchise attention. 
 

•   Move up to the number 4 slot….
•  Thereby increasing his exposure to spin…
•   Scoring more runs by coming in earlier…
•   Playing match winnings innings, 40s 50s and 60s in the engine room…
•   Whilst developing his legspin for match ups when two right handed players are at the crease.
•   Making sure he is as aggressive when setting a score in the first innings as he natually is when chasing

In summary, Taylor has been a bit unlucky not to showcase his skills worldwide, but his niche role is naturally competing with the best batting all rounders in the world such as Christian, Russell, Maxwell etc. The recency bias of a leaner than average season in 2020 may have meant he dropped down the pecking order on franchise’s radars. A move up to four in the 2021 Blast would be a good call for a captain ready to take on more responsibility as a senior pro. Developing his legbreak as a 5^th or 6^th bowling option, whilst scoring more runs for Gloucestershire in this year’s Blast would probably be enough for him to pick up one of the eight wild card slots before the Hundred starts.

Hope you enjoyed this in depth player analysis. Please retweet, like or send me a message.

Look forward to your comments.

Thanks

Neil

Read the Cricketer article - Jack Taylor 2.0: The reinvention of Gloucestershire's T20 skipper

Listen to the County Cricket Podcast - with Jack Taylor

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