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Steven Ryan Taylor (born November 9, 1993) is an American cricketer. He has played for the United States national cricket team since 2010 and previously captained the team. He is a left-handed top-order batsman and bowls right-arm off spin; early in his career he also played as a wicket-keeper. He has also played in West Indian domestic cricket including for several teams in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

Career

Early years

He was born in South Florida to Jamaican parents, Loveth and Sylvan Taylor. Along with being a left-handed batsman who often opened the batting, he was also a wicketkeeper. He was taught at an early age on the sidelines of grounds around Florida by his father, Sylvan, and later by his mentor, former USA left-handed batsman Mark Johnson. Taylor later became the first 14-year-old to hit half centuries in the South Florida Cricket Alliance (SFCA) and the Keith Graham Memorial Classic (now the SFCA Sims Cup Classic). The innings, against Pakistan, was while he was representing a SFCA Youth Team, and included 4 fours and 3 sixes off 33 balls and lasted 41 minutes. He then scored 212, 206, and 51 off Big Broward Cricket Academy, the Atlanta-based Cricket Academy of USA, and the Michigan Cricket Academy. In the SFCA Sims Classic, he was left unbeaten on 87 against India, and 75 against Pakistan. He was the youngest player in the SFCA Premier Division.

U-19 career

Taylor was selected for the United States national under-19 cricket team at the 2010 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup in New Zealand. He played in the tournament as a wicketkeeper-batsman.

Taylor was selected as vice-captain for the ICC Americas Under-19 Championship held in their own ground at Florida, in the 2010–11 season. He was also the wicketkeeper-batsman on that tournament. USA won that tournament unbeaten, and Taylor too had a successful tournament finishing third on the top run-getters' list with 157 runs from 5 games with a top score of 83, and also topped the most dismissals' list with 7 dismissals (5 catches, 2 stumpings) from 5 games.

International career

Following his performances in the domestic and Under-19 arena, he was given the call-up to play in USA's 2010 ICC World Cricket League Division Four campaign, where they had gained promotion from Division Five. USA won the tournament, demolishing Italy in the final, with Taylor playing throughout the tournament.

In the 2011 ICC World Cricket League Division Three, however, USA could not replicate their past success, finishing 5th out of 6 teams. They were thus relegated back to Division Four.

In 2012 Taylor was selected as to be a part of the United States national cricket team at the 2012 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier in the UAE in March 2012. Later in the same year he was selected for the 2012 ICC World Cricket League Division Four which takes place from September 3 to 10, 2012 in Malaysia.

Taylor became the first U.S. batsman to record a century in Twenty20 competition in the 2013 ICC World Cricket League Americas Region Twenty20 Division One tournament in March 2013. He scored 101 off 62 balls against Bermuda. He added a second century when he scored 127 not out against the Cayman Islands.

Later in the year, he represented the United States in the 2013 ICC World Cricket League Division Three, where he led all batters with 274 runs, for a run rate of 45.66. He scored a century in that tournament when he scored 162 in the opening match against Nepal.

Taylor was named in America's squad for the 2015 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier, but withdrew after securing a contract with Barbados Tridents in the Caribbean Premier League. He is included in the draft of foreign players for final of Pakistan Super League 2017 at Gaddafi Stadium Lahore to bring back cricket back to Pakistan. In the draft for the 2017 Caribbean Premier League, he was picked in round 8 by the Guyana Amazon Warriors, securing a $30,000 contract.

On May 30, 2017, during the third-place playoff in the 2017 ICC World Cricket League Division Three tournament, Taylor scored his 1,000th run in one-day cricket, becoming the fourth player for the United States to reach the landmark.

In August 2018, he was named in the United States' squad for the 2018–19 ICC World Twenty20 Americas Qualifier tournament in Morrisville, North Carolina. In October 2018, he was named in the United States' squads for the 2018–19 Regional Super50 tournament in the West Indies and for the 2018 ICC World Cricket League Division Three tournament in Oman.

In February 2019, he was named in the United States' Twenty20 International (T20I) squad for their series against the United Arab Emirates. The matches were the first T20I fixtures to be played by the United States cricket team. He made his T20I debut for the United States against the United Arab Emirates on 15 March 2019.

In April 2019, he was named in the United States cricket team's squad for the 2019 ICC World Cricket League Division Two tournament in Namibia. The United States finished in the top four places in the tournament, therefore gaining One Day International (ODI) status. Taylor made his ODI debut for the United States on 27 April 2019, against Papua New Guinea, in the tournament's third-place playoff.

In June 2019, he was named in a 30-man training squad for the United States cricket team, ahead of the Regional Finals of the 2018–19 ICC T20 World Cup Americas Qualifier tournament in Bermuda. Later the same month, he was selected to play for the Montreal Tigers franchise team in the 2019 Global T20 Canada tournament. However, in July 2019, Taylor withdrew from the Global T20 Canada tournament, after signing a 12-month central contract with USA Cricket.

In August 2019, he was named as the vice-captain of the United States' squad for the Regional Finals of the 2018–19 ICC T20 World Cup Americas Qualifier tournament. He was the leading run-scorer for the United States in the tournament, with 144 runs in six matches. In November 2019, he was named as the vice-captain of the United States' squad for the 2019–20 Regional Super50 tournament.

In October 2021, he was named in the American squad for the 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup Americas Qualifier tournament in Antigua. In June 2022, Taylor scored his first century in an ODI match, with 114 runs against Nepal in round 13 of the 2019–2023 ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 competition.

Domestic career

Taylor made his first-class debut, playing for Jamaica, in the 2017–18 Regional Four Day Competition on November 9, 2017.

In June 2021, he was selected to take part in the Minor League Cricket tournament in the United States following the players' draft.

In March 2023, Taylor was roped into the MI New York squad for the inaugural edition of Major League Cricket in the player draft.

In October 2024, Taylor was picked by the Rangpur Riders in the players draft of Bangladesh Premier League.

References

1. Steven Taylor on Cricinfo ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved December 27, 2011
2. "Steven Taylor out as USA captain". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved November 11, 2017.
3. "Jamaica scrap for draw in rain-hit encounter". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved November 11, 2017.
4. Young Steven Taylor one for the future Dreamcricket. Retrieved December 27, 2011
5. United States of America Under-19s Squad ICC Under-19 World Cup, 2009/10 ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved December 27, 2011
6. USA U-19s v Ire U-19s Scorecard ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved December 27, 2011
7. United States of America Under-19s Squad Americas Under-19 Championship, 2010/11 ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved December 27, 2011
8. USA win ICC Americas U-19 championship ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved December 27, 2011
9. Records / Americas Under-19 Championship, 2010/11 / Most runs ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved December 27, 2011
10. Records / Americas Under-19 Championship, 2010/11 / Most dismissals ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved December 27, 2011
11. United States of America Squad, ICC World Cricket League Division Four, 2010 ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved December 27, 2011
12. Cush century takes USA to title triumph ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved December 27, 2011
13. Unhappy ending for USA ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved December 27, 2011
14. "United States of America Squad, ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier, 2011/12". ESPNcricinfo. March 16, 2012. Retrieved August 6, 2012.
15. Peter Della Penna (March 24, 2013). "Steven Taylor becomes first USA batsman to score T20 century". CricInfo.com. Retrieved July 2, 2013.
16. "ICC World Cricket League Americas Region Division One Twenty20 at Lauderhill, Mar 24 2013 - Match Summary - ESPNCricinfo". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
17. "ICC World Cricket League Division Three at Somerset, Apr 28 2013 - Match Summary - ESPNCricinfo". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
18. "Taylor withdraws from USA squad for World T20 Qualifier". ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved June 23, 2015.
19. "HERO CPL PLAYER DRAFT 2017 CPL T20". www.cplt20.com. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
20. "Oman WCL Division Three champions after rain spoils final". ESPN Cricinfo. May 30, 2017. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
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23. "Hayden Walsh Jr, Aaron Jones in USA squad for WCL Division Three". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
24. "Xavier Marshall recalled for USA's T20I tour of UAE". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
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27. "1st T20I, United States of America tour of United Arab Emirates at Dubai, Mar 15 2019". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
28. "All to play for in last ever World Cricket League tournament". International Cricket Council. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
29. "Oman and USA secure ICC Men's Cricket World Cup League 2 places and ODI status". International Cricket Council. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
30. "3rd Place Playoff, ICC World Cricket League Division Two at Windhoek, Apr 27 2019". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
31. "Former SA pacer Rusty Theron named in USA squad". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
32. "Global T20 draft streamed live". Canada Cricket Online. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
33. "Five USA players get 12-month contracts; three pull out of Global T20 Canada". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
34. "Team USA Squad Announced for ICC T20 World Cup Americas' Regional Final". USA Cricket. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
35. "ICC Men's T20 World Cup Americas Region Final, 2019 - United States: Batting and bowling averages". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
36. "Team USA Men's Squad Announced for return to Cricket West Indies Super50 tournament". USA Cricket. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
37. "Team USA Men's Squad Named for T20 World Cup Americas Qualifier in Antigua". USA Cricket. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
38. "Thrilling tie in Texas". Cricket Europe. Archived from the original on June 12, 2022. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
39. "7th Match (D/N), WICB Professional Cricket League Regional 4 Day Tournament at Kingston, Nov 9-12 2017". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved November 11, 2017.
40. "All 27 Teams Complete Initial Roster Selection Following Minor League Cricket Draft". USA Cricket. Retrieved June 11, 2021.

External links

v t e United States squad – 2024 Men's T20 World Cup
1 M. Patel (c, wk) 7 N. Patel 8 Taylor 14 M. Kumar 20 Netravalkar 21 N. Kumar 23 Khan 27 H. Singh 30 Jahangir (wk) 64 Kenjige 68 Gous (wk) 78 Anderson 85 Jones (vc) 89 van Schalkwyk 99 J. Singh Coach: Stuart Law
Juanoy Drysdale, Gajanand Singh, Yasir Mohammad as reserves for the team.

• 1993 births
• Living people
• Sportspeople from Hialeah, Florida
• American cricketers
• American sportspeople of Jamaican descent
• Barbados Royals cricketers
• ICC Americas cricketers
• Cricket in Florida
• Jamaica cricketers
• United States One Day International cricketers
• United States Twenty20 International cricketers
• 21st-century African-American sportsmen
• Wicket-keepers
• 21st-century American sportsmen