Ex-Kiwi captain Taylor confirms return for England series next year

London: Ross Taylor, who was unceremoniously stripped of captaincy by New Zealand Cricket (NZC) following the Sri Lanka series, has confirmed he will return to the team for their series against England next year after he pulled out of the upcoming South Africa series. While the Black Caps prepare to leave this week for their gruelling tour of South Africa, Taylor was looking forward to spending Christmas with his parents in Masterton and time with his young family.

Taylor pulled out of the tour when replaced as skipper by Brendon McCullum last week, citing an untenable relationship with coach Mike Hesson as one reason for declining an offer to remain as Test captain. The 28-year-old said the past month has been stressful since being told of his pending demotion by Hesson, days out from the first Test in Sri Lanka. Taylor added he has struggled to sleep since but is now coming to terms with his decision to pull out of the tour and confirmed he is targeting a return for the home series against England in February/March. “I`m cooling down ... and hopefully over the next few weeks I can continue to recover in a lot of areas,” the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Taylor, as saying to a radio channel. “Hopefully I`ll be ready for that England series, all going well. But it will be a tough transition back into the team,” he added. ANI