News

'No pressure during chase' - Taylor

Brendan Taylor, the Zimbabwe opener, has said he was under no pressure during his team's chase of 195 due to the steady partnership he shared with Hamilton Masakadza

Cricinfo staff
03-Jun-2010
Brendan Taylor secured his second Man-of-the-Match award of the series  •  AFP

Brendan Taylor secured his second Man-of-the-Match award of the series  •  AFP

Brendan Taylor, the Zimbabwe opener, has said he was under no pressure during his team's chase of 195 due to the steady partnership he shared with Hamilton Masakadza. Zimbabwe were slow to start with but picked up the pace and completed their victory with more than 11 overs to spare. The comprehensive win ensured they secured a bonus point, which boosts their chances of reaching the series final.
"We were keeping it to under four runs an over, which is not too much. Batting with Hamilton I always feel relaxed, he's a powerful hitter and for some reason I was ahead of him today which never really happens," Taylor, who was Man of the Match for his 90-ball 74, said. "On a good flat wicket I thought I played well and there was no real pressure."
Taylor and Masakadza added 128 for the first wicket in 26.3 overs, all but ensuring a win for their team. When asked if there was a message from the dressing room to push on to secure a bonus point - the target had to be achieved under 40 overs to secure it - Taylor said: "The batsmen knew we were on a good wicket. It was essentially the start we got. The message came around the 25th over to take the Powerplay. We got over the line comfortably."
In contrast, the Indian openers M Vijay and Dinesh Karthik, who had crawled to 26 in 10 overs and fell in quick succession after adding 58, came in for criticism from captain Suresh Raina. "It's a worry. We're not getting a partnership, especially with the opening pair," he said. "We hope to learn from our mistakes. They didn't get the runs in the last couple of games. But overall we didn't bat well."
Elton Chigumbura, the Zimbabwe captain, singled out Andy Blignaut, who bowled 10 overs for just 22, for praise among the bowlers. "A very good comeback after the last game. Our bowlers bowled well, especially Andy Blignaut. He was outstanding," he said. "Our opening partnership gave us a good foundation. We just wanted to get a foundation, and it was then going to be easy to go for the bonus point."