Legendary New Zealand captain Ross Taylor has announced his return to international cricket. However, he will not be donning the Black Caps jersey and instead will represent Samoa in the Asia-East Asia-Pacific T20 World Cup 2026 Qualifier, set to take place in Oman.
Taylor, who retired from international cricket in 2022, took to his social media handle to confirm the news. The cricketer revealed that it is a huge honour to represent his heritage, culture, villages, and family.
“It’s official – I’m proud to announce that I’ll be pulling on the blue and representing Samoa in cricket. This is more than just a return to the game I love — it’s the huge honour to represent my heritage, culture, villages, and family. I’m excited for the opportunity to give back to the game, join the squad, and share my experience on and off the field. Time to get back out there – #685 to the world! CHEEEHOOO! 🇼🇸,” Taylor wrote.
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Ross Taylor is New Zealand’s second-highest run-scorer across formats
The veteran batter qualifies to play for Samoa through his mother’s Samoan heritage and became eligible after completing a three-year cooling-off period since his last appearance for New Zealand in April 2022. Meanwhile, Taylor’s international career is one of the most celebrated in New Zealand’s cricket history.
Between 2006 and 2022, he featured in 112 Tests, 236 ODIs, and 102 T20Is, scoring a total of 18,199 runs across formats. His tally includes 7683 runs in Tests, 8607 in ODIs, and 1909 in T20Is. He also played a crucial role in Black Caps’ historic win in the inaugural World Test Championship in 2021. Even though he last featured in a T20I back in 2020, he is New Zealand’s fifth-highest run-scorer in the format.
The 41-year-old is not the only experienced player in Samoa’s 15-member squad. Auckland’s Sean Solia has also been picked in the squad. The qualifiers are the final phase for Samoa on their vision towards the 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka. They will compete against teams like Papua New Guinea, Japan, Oman, Nepal, Kuwait, Malaysia, Qatar, and the UAE. Samoa begins its campaign on October 8 against Oman and Papua New Guinea.
Samoa T20I squad
Caleb Jasmat (C), Ross Taylor, Darius Visser, Sean Solia, Daniel Burgess, Douglas Finau, Sam French, Kurtis Hynam-Nyberg, Ben Mailata, Noah Mead, Solomon Nash, Samson Sola, Fereti Sululoto, Saumani Tiai, Ili Tugaga
India
