October 27 + Left Hander = Champion Cricketer
October 27th marks the birthdate of 4 cricketers i.e Kumara Sangakkara, Mark Taylor, David Warner and Irfan Pathan. All the mentioned 4 cricketers have emerged as successful cricketers in their tenure and brought glory for their nation. Surprisingly all the 4 Cricketers are left-handed batsmen and amongst them, Irfan Pathan is a left-handed bowler too.
Mark Taylor captained Australia in the 90’s post-Allan Border and took Australian cricket to new heights. Currently, he is doing commentary for Australian cricket.
David Warner is another left-handed Australian batsman, who made name for himself with his attacking stroke-play in international cricket. The New South Wales cricketer is currently under a ban from International Cricket due to ball tampering controversy that happened earlier this year.
Kumara Sangakkara, although retired from international cricket, is still active in various leagues showcasing his talent. He is also a regular feature in commentary on TV.
Irfan Pathan has been out of the Indian Team for a while now, his struggles with injuries have dented his career badly. Currently, the left-hander is not part of any competitive cricket. He was appointed as coach of Jammu & Kashmir Cricket Association earlier this year in March.
Let us have a glimpse at the careers of these 4 players:
#1 Mark Taylor
The New South Wales-born Australian is regarded as the most gifted batsman and one of the finest Test captains of Australia. He made his debut in the year of 1989 against West Indies in Sydney. However, he announced his arrival in the first Test against England in the same year, when he scored a magnificent 136 in Headingley that helped Australia win.
He scored more than 800 runs in the 6-match test series against England with an impeccable average of 83.90, which was a record aggregate and only second best to Don Bradman.
Mark Taylor suffered a dip in form in the early 90’s but managed to score over 400 runs in the 5 match Test series against India in the year of 1991/92, which Australia went on to win 4-0.
Mark Taylor was appointed as Australian Captain in the year of 1994 and his first assignment was against Pakistan in Pakistan. This wasn’t a fruitful experience as Australia lost the 3 match Test series 1-0 and Taylor could only score 106 runs in the 3 test matches.
His captaincy was praised during the tour of West Indies in the year of 1994, where Australia won the 4 match Test series 2-1. His leadership was applauded by the critics and was considered a key factor in the Team’s success.
Mark Taylor’s real test was against India in India during the 1998 season. Despite having a good start to the 1st test in Chennai with a good lead after 1st innings, Sachin Tendulkar’s heroics took away the game and Australia lost the test on the 4th innings. The same pattern repeated in the second test at Calcutta as Australia suffered a heavy defeat. However, they regained some pride by winning the final test in Bangalore.
Mark Taylor broke the record for the then longest innings when he scored a massive 334* against Pakistan in Peshawar. Despite the test match ending in a draw, Australia went on to win the test series against Pakistan.
Taylor’s final season was against England, where Australia regained the Ashes by winning the series 3-1. In his captaincy stint, Australia won 26 and lost 13 games in 50 test matches, a success rate considered as the best amongst his compatriots.
Taylor had many achievements on the field and off the field, he was named Australian of the Year in 1999, he was awarded Australian Sports Medal in 2000 and was inducted in Sports Australia Hall of Fame in 2002 and many more.
Currently the 53-year-old is part of the commentary team for Cricket Australia broadcasters and signed the deal to voice his opinion for 2019 World cup