"For much of my career I've been an anomaly, a brown face in a vanilla line-up" - Ross Taylor opens about racism in his newly released autobiography
Former New Zealand cricketer Ross Taylor has shed light upon his experiences with racism over the course of his illustrious 16-year international career.
The 38-year-old, who is of part-Samoan heritage, revealed instances of racial nature by players and team officials alike. Taylor also stated that these were often dismissed as part of 'locker room banter,' which he found hurtful.
The right-handed batter, who made his debut for the Kiwis in 2006, revealed that his heritage was often mistaken for that of an Indian or Maori. He also expressed his fear of making matters worse should he retort by raising the issue to the higher authorities.
It’s been an amazing time reflecting on my journey. I can’t wait to share my story, ‘Black & White’ coming to New Zealand bookstores on August 11th. https://t.co/JrfLZzX2td
Opening up about the presence of racism in New Zealand cricket, Ross Taylor wrote in his autobiography titled "Black & White":
"Cricket in New Zealand is a pretty white sport. For much of my career I've been an anomaly, a brown face in a vanilla line-up. That has its challenges, many of which aren't readily apparent to your teammates or the cricketing public."
He continued:
"In many ways dressing-room banter is the barometer. A teammate used to tell me 'you're half a good guy Ross but which half is good? You don't know what I'm referring to.' I was pretty sure I did."
Taylor added:
"Other players also had to put up with comments that dwelt on their ethnicity. In all probability a (white New Zealander) listening to those sorts of comments would think 'oh, that's OK, it's just a bit of banter."
The former cricketer was a vital cog in the New Zealand middle-order for a long time and was their first player to amass 100 appearances across all three formats. He announced his decision to retire in December 2021, and bid farewell to international cricket with a home series against the Netherlands in April 2022.
"I don't think for one minute that they were coming from a racist perspective" - Ross Taylor
Ross Taylor recounted other instances of racial background in his autobiography as well.
One such instance was Taylor's wife Victoria being offered assistance by a former New Zealand coach in terms of handling money. This was because of a sterotype which insinuated that people from Maori heritage were not good at handling it.
However, despite the ominous presence of racism in the team environment, Taylor does not believe that his teammates' intentions or beliefs were in the wrong.
"We didn't have a very good captaincy relationship." 🗣️
Ross Taylor reveals all in this exclusive interview ahead of the release of his book "Ross Taylor: Black & White". Catch the full interview tonight on Sky Sport 1 at 5pm and again at 7pm on Sky Sport 3. #SkySportNZ https://t.co/Yj1QSS8n2C
Claiming that the ones on the other end of racist remarks often felt different due to the comments, Ross Taylor stated:
"Let me be clear: I don't think for one minute that they were coming from a racist perspective. What to them is a bit of harmless banter is actually confronting for the targets because it tells them they're seen as being different."
He went on to say:
"Instead of the message being 'you're one of us, mate,' it is, in effect, 'you're one of them.'"
A New Zealand Cricket spokesperson told the New Zealand Herald that the cricketing governing body 'deplores racism.' He also expressed his disappointment at Taylor having had to go through all of this while representing the country.
What do you make of Ross Taylor stating that he was treated differently by the New Zealand dressing room and management? Let us know what you think