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ScorecardShane Warne rediscovered his magic, taking 1 for 22 from his fours overs•Getty Images

A record crowd at the Gabba for a domestic T20 undoubtedly came to see Shane Warne. They got their monies-worth as Warne and his team delivered in the most entertaining match of the BBL so far.Melbourne Stars, the side with as much star-power as any in this competition, beat Brisbane Heat by eight runs in a match that featured highlights with bat and ball and a virtuoso performance from Warne in front of 29,241 people.Rob Quiney’s match winning 97 from 60 balls set up an imposing total of 7 for 177 on a pristine Gabba surface, before Clint McKay’s 3 for 22 was statistically the pick of the bowlers in the Stars defensive effort. But in reality, both men were overshadowed by night’s star attraction: Shane Warne.Brisbane were on track at 2 for 70 after seven overs of their run chase. Matthew Hayden clubbed four fours in the second over of the innings from England international Jade Dernbach. Hayden smashed his tenth ball straight to mid off to fall for an entertaining 22 but Brendan McCullum picked up the slack cruising to 26 from 16 balls before Warne entered. McCullum had got off the mark with a six over long on in the first over but he was far more respectful of Warne first up.Two balls at McCullum and four at Peter Forrest in Warne’s first over were all delivered with artistry and precision. He conceded four runs, as well extracting some turn and bounce from a wicket he adores.McCullum attacked Warne in his second over. The New Zealander charged, Warne tossed high and wide, McCullum miscued a spooned drive, high, but safely beyond cover-point. Warne picked him up two balls later, bowling him around his legs as he attempted to sweep.Dan Christian was the only player to get a piece of Warne, clubbing him for six over long on. But Warne’s other 23 balls cost just 16.Outside of Warne and McKay the Stars other three bowlers conceded more than nine-an-over. But they did enough to curtail Brisbane, who simply could not construct a partnership. Their largest was 55 unbroken stand between Michael Neser and Ryan Harris but it came too late as it began in the 15th over with the score at 7 for 114.Earlier the Stars had set-up their total on the back of a 105-run stand between Quiney and David Hussey. Melbourne were 2 for 31 when the pair came together after Nathan Hauritz opened the bowling with great success snaring Matthew Wade and George Bailey early.But Quiney found the pace of the Gabba wicket to his liking as he smashed six sixes and five fours in a 60-ball knock that ended three short of a well-deserved century. Outside of Hauritz, who showed the value of a slow bowler at the Gabba by taking 3 for 18 from four quality overs, Brisbane were exposed for a lack of variety.Quiney’s high grip and Gilchrist-like swinging arc took full toll of all the medium pacers’ length offerings. Hussey was a valuable contributor as well. His 45 from 32 showcased his wonderful skill as a T20 cricketer.Brisbane slumped to their second loss of the tournament, whilst the Stars squared the ledger with a win and a loss.

ScorecardNathan Coulter-Nile broke Sydney Thunder’s innings with three quick wickets•Getty Images

Perth employed a scorched-earth policy at Stadium Australia tonight. Even without star-import Herschelle Gibbs, they obliterated Sydney Thunder to secure their fifth consecutive win and ensure a home semi-final.Gibbs, with three half-centuries in five innings in the Big Bash, withdrew before the game began due to a foot injury, but his absence was not felt after Scorchers steamrolled Thunder for just 99. The home side could not bat out their twenty overs after choosing to bat.Scorchers were white-hot with the ball and in the field, led by Nathan Coulter-Nile. The 24-year-old quick bowled with great pace and energy on a sluggish drop-in pitch. He knocked over Thunder’s much-vaunted top three. First to fall was Usman Khawaja, who nicked a delivery that climbed a little higher than expected. Not all were convinced about the edge, Coulter-Nile did not even appeal, but Luke Ronchi was certain as he gleefully accepted the catch.Second to fall was Chris Gayle. The Jamaican looked in ominous touch again, having reached 20 with two fours and a six. But a big swipe at Coulter-Nile yielded only a thin outside edge. Umpire Mick Martell initially shook his head but was over-ruled by the third umpire based on camera footage only. There is no traditional challenge system in place, but there is a form of review in exceptional circumstances. Martell changed his decision, via information from the third umpire, to send a perplexed Gayle on his way to a chorus of boos from 12,000 fans.There was no doubt about Coulter-Nile’s third scalp. Four balls after Gayle’s departure Daniel Smith drove, with his feet anchored, at a 143kph carrot wide of off stump. Mitchell Marsh pouched the very sharp edge at slip with ease. Coulter-Nile had 3 for 6 from 12 balls and Thunder were half way down a very slippery slope at the conclusion of the sixth over.The most energetic 40-year-old in Australia, Brad Hogg, was introduced in the seventh over and he bamboozled the two left-hand batsmen, Ben Dunk and Jason Floros, with a mixture of sharp turning leg-breaks and exceptional wrong-un’s. Floros had no luck playing straight. So he elected to sweep and was promptly bowled by Hogg.Luke Butterworth then took on Hogg with a strange hit and run. Hogg ran him out in the manner of Jonty Rhodes in his prime. It was the first of four direct hit run-outs from Scorchers. Nathan Rimmington accounted for Dunk, before Coulter-Nile twice swooped with elegance, and ease, to pull off two direct hits in six balls to end the innings. Few fast bowlers can field with as much skill, fluidity, and grace as Coulter-Nile. He deserved to be named Man of the Match.Perth only looked vulnerable in the match for one fleeting moment. Luke Ronchi was clean bowled by Scott Coyte with the second ball of the chase. Thereafter it was all Marcus North and Marsh. The pair cruised to the target with 35 balls to spare. Marsh was particularly destructive hitting five sixes in his unbeaten 64. Anything fractionally short or angled down leg side was dispatched with raw power over the square boundary. Just to prove his abilities were not limited to one zone he hit two sixes off Trent Copeland in three balls. The first sailed down the ground over straight long-on, the second was clubbed inside-out over cover.North remained the silent partner, but a slog-sweep off Floros over midwicket showed he also had the power to clear the rope. His dexterity to glide Coyte to the third-man boundary to seal victory epitomised how easy the win was for Scorchers.

MS Dhoni, the India captain, has said how his team utilise their time in Australia in the lead-up to the first Test will determine the outcome of the series. “It depends on how we prepare ourselves during the 12 days before the Test match and how we adapt to the conditions,” Dhoni said. “Most of the batsmen have played there before. We are hoping we will do well there.”India have been poor starters overseas of late and have lost the first Test of the series on their previous trips to Australia, South Africa, Sri Lanka and England. But Duncan Fletcher, the India coach, said an early arrival in Australia for some of his players coupled with two warm-up games should be sufficient for the team to acclimatise to conditions. “You hope that they do adapt during that period of time. Probably it is enough,” Fletcher said in Chennai ahead of the team’s departure to Australia.Australia have struggled recently, but Dhoni said this was not necessarily India’s best chance to win a Test series in Australia, and that he would rather work on his side’s strengths and weaknesses than concentrate on the opposition’s form. “Even last time [in 2007-08] we had a very good chance and we did really perform well. It is not that if the opposition is not doing well it will be a best chance for us. We have to play to the level of the kind of talent that we have got and not worry about such things. We are more concerned about what we need to work on and are not too worried about what kind of opposition we are playing.”Some people think that the last Australian team was much better than the current Australian side. Some of the present players were not part of the 2008 side. To judge them is quite a difficult task. Anil Kumble was part of our side [then]. The spinners coming into the team now are not as experienced as Anil. It applies to the Australian team also. They had big players like Adam Gilchrist and others.”[Because they are] missing big names in the present setup, some people think that this is our best chance. But we did well that time also and quite a few things happened in the series. Most of you watched that. We will try to keep such things away. We are a good side and we need to do well on the field.”Fletcher agreed with Dhoni about the need for India to focus on their own game but added that Australia had some good players who were currently out of form and India would do well to keep things that way.Zaheer Khan, who is returning after a long injury lay-off, will be crucial if India are to put pressure on the Australia line-up and Fletcher said that he did not want to rush his premier fast bowler back. “From the reports that I get, Zaheer had come to Mumbai and bowled in the nets there and he looked impressive. I think it is very important to be careful; he looked to be in very good condition even when he came to England.”He has got through two games [in the Ranji Trophy, for Mumbai]. It will be ideal preparation for him. We do not want to rush him back too quickly. The one three-day game there will be important for him before the first Test.”Fletcher was also upbeat about Ishant Sharma, who was among the players who departed early for Australia. “He has had a nice rest. He was totally free from injury when he finished the Test match in Mumbai [against West Indies]. He has gone out there fresh. It is important that they have little breaks between series. Everything that we have heard so far is that they are ready to go.”Though seamers Praveen Kumar and Varun Aaron will be missing the tour due to injury, Dhoni was optimistic about the chances of his bowling attack. “If you see the injury list, it is quite blank as of now. More often than not, [of the] the 15 or 16 who are selected [in the squad] everybody will be ready for selection [in the XI]. That takes a bit of pressure off and you need not worry about the playing XI that much as most of the players get their berths on merit.”Apart from that, the batting line-up is quite the same. Bowling-wise, Zaheer is back. We have got Umesh Yadav who can bowl over 140kph. I think it looks like a good pack.”Dhoni said he was not worried about the fact that only two of his bowlers had played more than 15 Tests as it was more important to have in-form bowlers than experienced ones.”R Ashwin has just made his debut in the series against West Indies while Harbhajan Singh has played in 98 Test matches and is one of the leading wicket-takers for India,” Dhoni said. “Nobody knew what Ashwin can do. But he ended up winning the Man-of-the-Series in the Tests. This is something that Duncan said that we have to be careful about. Just because the big names are not there, it does not mean the bowling attack is weak. Even when Shane Warne or Glenn McGrath made their debut they started from zero wickets. You may be having a [potentially] great bowler, who may be just starting his career and playing the first few games.”

Justice Cooke resumed his summing-up of the alleged spot-fixing trial on Wednesday and issued the jury an advisory for when they start to consider the case of Mohammad Asif with regards to his excuse for bowling a no-ball.Former Test captain Salman Butt and fast bowler Mohammad Asif are facing charges of conspiracy to cheat and conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments following the Lord’s Test last year, when they allegedly conspired with agent Mazhar Majeed, teenager Mohammad Amir and other people unknown to bowl pre-planned no-balls. Butt and Asif deny the charges. The jury can only give a verdict on events directly related to the no-balls.The judge made his comment to the jury on the 16th morning of the case prior to starting a full review of the evidence heard in court over the trial so far. He reminded them that during his initial police interview, while under caution but not arrest, Asif did not volunteer the evidence he gave while under oath at Southwark Crown Court last week.Asif told the court that the ball before his no-ball, Butt had abused him and said, “Run faster f*****, are you sleepy?” (or “have you slept?” depending on interpretation). His lawyer also highlighted pressure that Butt had put on Asif with the abuse and by placing himself in an unorthodox fielding place. Asif argued that he was not asked for an excuse for the no-ball by the police.Justice Cooke explained to the jury that both defendants were told of how they were made aware that “it may harm your defence if you do not mention something you later rely on in court…” The judge also said to the jury that they should consider if it was reasonable for Asif not to have mentioned what he had now told them, bearing in mind the language barrier, or if it was “a late invention” as the prosecution alleged.The summing up is expected to early on Thursday before the jury is released to decide upon a verdict.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details Roelof van der Merwe blasted 32 off 16 balls and took 1 for 25 in Somerset’s win•Associated Press

Somerset’s captain Alfonso Thomas bowled two strangling spells to ensure his side beat Warriors and qualified for the semi-finals of the Champions League Twenty20. Warriors’ loss meant their net run-rate fell below that of Royal Challengers Bangalore and they became the second South African team, after Cape Cobras, to bow out of the tournament in two days.Ironically, it was the performance of three South Africa-born players that contributed most to Somerset’s victory. Thomas’ 2 for 16, Craig Kieswetter’s unbeaten 56 and Roelof van der Merwe’s all-round effort closed the door on Warriors.With the ball turning, and not coming on to the bat, Warriors had to be careful not to fall too far behind the required run-rate. They slipped in the middle stages but it was only in the 19th over – with 23 runs needed off 12 balls – that the match went beyond their grasp. Thomas bowled slower balls throughout, and when he removed big-hitting Craig Thyssen and Wayne Parnell in the same over, the task became too great for Warriors.They had started positively, as Ashwell Prince and JJ Smuts scored 24 runs in the first three overs. Prince was the first batsman undone by the lack of pace but Smuts formed a solid partnership with Ingram. They battled through a lean patch but struggled to find the boundary, especially against Thomas and young Adam Dibble, who bowled a tight second spell after conceding 13 runs in his first over.After steering Warriors to 79 in the 12th over, however, both Ingram and Smuts were dismissed in the space of five balls and the new Warriors batsmen could not keep up. Johan Botha, batting at No. 5, tried to take Steve Kirby on but sliced a slow and wide ball high to Arul Suppiah in the deep, who put it down. Three balls later, Botha did the same thing and was caught at long-off.Nicky Boje and Thyssen were left to score 46 runs from 27 balls. Both tried a few shots but with Somerset’s bowlers not giving much away, they were unable to set-up the win. The margin of defeat was a sizeable 12 runs in the end.Warriors had started the game brightly, with the wicket of Peter Trego, who was caught behind in the first over after Lonwabo Tsotsobe created pressure with his short of a length deliveries. That good work was completely undone by Wayne Parnell in the second over. Parnell bowled a poor line, conceded 13 runs, and did not bowl for the rest of the innings.Kieswetter took advantage of Parnell’s wayward leg-side line but it was van der Merwe who sunk his teeth into his countrymen, taking 16 runs off Tsotsobe’s second over. Somerset’s acceleration prompted Botha to change the pace and he introduced left-arm spinner Smuts, who bowled too short in his first over. van der Merwe caned Smuts for two more fours but succumbed to his attacking instinct, top-edging a slog sweep to midwicket to fall for 32 off 16 balls. Botha and Boje took control between overs seven and ten, giving away 18 runs and only one boundary, as they tied Kieswetter and James Hildreth down.Rusty Theron started his spell with a wide ball that was hit through point for four but recovered well, with fuller and slower deliveries that could not be punished. Botha also juggled his spinners to good effect but four shots spoiled his effort: Kieswetter’s pull over midwicket off Botha, Jos Buttler’s two sixes off Boje – the second of which was the second biggest of the tournament – and Buttler’s straight smack over the sightscreen off Smuts.Tsotsobe and Theron had to bowl at the death and used variations such as cutters and slower balls. Most of their deliveries were on target but Kieswetter punished anything that wasn’t. He hit boundaries in three of the last four overs, and was the reason Somerset were able to score 36 runs off them.

Former England allrounder and county veteran Dominic Cork will leave Hampshire at the end of the 2011 season. While it would be premature to suggest that his departure will bring an end to a 21-year county career – there has been talk that another second division county may be interested in signing him – what is clear is that Hampshire have decided not to renew his contract for the 2012 campaign.Cork, who turned 40 in August, enjoyed some notable successes during his three-year stay at the Rose Bowl, winning the domestic 50-over competition in 2009 and the Friends Provident Twenty20 in 2010. He admitted he was considering his future in the game after captaining a young Hampshire side to the t20 title, but ultimately took Hampshire up on their offer of a deal for the 2011 season.He had been Hampshire’s captain since midway through the 2010 season, having begun his first-class career in 1990 and had a long stint with Derbyshire, where he was also captain, before joining Lancashire, until the move to Hampshire in 2009.Cork remained a consistent performer throughout his Hampshire stint, taking 94 first-class wickets for them at an average of 27.77, his best being 5 for 14 against Worcestershire in 2009. His presence was particularly felt in limited-overs cricket; both of Hampshire’s trophies during his time with the county having come in the shorter formats, and he contributed 43 wickets at an average of 24.06 in 45 domestic Twenty20 matches.”I don’t want to be picked because of what I’ve done in the past, I want to be picked because I can make that difference, and if I believe I can do that I’ll carry on,” Cork said after Hampshire’s Twenty20 triumph last year. “If I don’t think that then it’s time to let some of the youngsters take the ball and have a good time because it’s been a great career.” Hampshire have taken the decision for him and decided to place their faith in their set of promising young home-grown players.”Dom has made an outstanding contribution to this club over the last three years,” Hampshire manager, Giles White said. “He’s been a very popular figure and has played a huge part in a successful period in the club’s history. Two trophies and leading the club to another Finals Day says it all. We wish him all the best for the future.””Dominic has had a fantastic impact on this Club since his arrival in 2009,” Hampshire Chairman Rod Bransgrove added. “I should like to thank him for his commitment, enthusiasm and contribution over these three seasons and wish him every success in the future.”Hampshire will make an announcement on the long-term captaincy of the club in due course.

Scorecard
An epic 193 from Shivnarine Chanderpaul, five wickets for Chris Wright and a superb all-round performance from Keith Barker sent Yorkshire crashing to defeat by an innings and 58 runs on the third day of their Championship match with Warwickshire at Headingley. The emphatic victory pushed Warwickshire back into the title race, leaving them only three points behind leaders Lancashire, but it virtually condemned Yorkshire to Second Division cricket next season.Chanderpaul already stood on 167 and Barker 33 when Warwickshire began the day on 340 for 6 with a lead of 43, and they were in complete control by the time they were bowled out for 482.The hosts then collapsed to 127 all out in an effort devoid of the fight needed by a team battling to avoid relegationChanderpaul and Barker pair stayed very much in control as they slowly built on their overnight partnership of 76. The first hour produced 27 runs and the only loose shot of Chanderpaul’smarathon innings came when he mistimed a pull at Richard Pyrah and the ball ballooned into a safe space.After batting for seven hours and 20 minutes, the West Indian finally departed, prompting bowler Steven Patterson to punch the air in relief and delight. Chanderpaul dabbed outside off stump and was caught behind after receiving 306 balls and stroking 26 boundaries.His stand with Barker had produced 119 in 40 overs and runs began to flow more quickly with the appearance of Neil Carter, the eighth-wicket pair putting on 71 together in 16 overs. They kept each other company until shortly after lunch when Barker tamely drove Joe Root to Adil Rashid at cover, his 85 containing 11 fours and coming off 167 balls.Root’s offspin also brought him the last two wickets of Carter and Chris Metters to give him career-best figures of 3 for 33. Left-arm spinner David Wainwright also had three wickets, but there was no reward for the out-of-sorts Adil Rashid, whose leg-breaks cost him 90 runs from25 overs.Warwickshire’s 482 gave them a formidable lead of 185 and Yorkshire began to crumble from the first over, Barker’s fourth ball bringing the prize wicket of Jacques Rudolph who jabbed outside off stump and was well caught by Tim Ambrose.Root played an exquisite cover drive off Barker but four balls later he sliced a fierce drive to gully when he was splendidly caught two-handed by Ian Westwood. Things went from bad to worse as Anthony McGrath became the first of two victims in seven balls for Wright who was making a good impression on loan from Essex.McGrath, still not off the mark, edged his 16th ball into Ambrose’s gloves and Gary Ballance shuffled across his stumps to fall lbw, also without scoring. Tea came at 40 for 4 and the slump continued after the interval as Gerard Brophy was bowled by Wright aiming to hit through midwicket and opener Joe Sayers was lbw to a full ball from Barker for 25.Richard Pyrah went on the attack by smacking six boundaries in his 28 off 17 balls before driving Barker gently to James Troughton at mid-off and in the next over Wright struck twice by bowling Rashid and having Ryan Sidebottom caught at first slip by Varun Chopra.At 91 for 9, Yorkshire had avoided their lowest score of the season – 86 against Nottinghamshire at Headingley – and the last pair of Wainwright and Patterson survived until Patterson had his stumps knocked back at 127 in the 38th over.

Stuart Law, the Bangladesh coach, has put his team’s five-run defeat down to poor catching and some “silly mistakes” at the wrong time. Bangladesh’s batsmen put up a fight in the chase but despite a fighting maiden century from Mushfiqur Rahim fell five runs short of Zimbabwe’s 250 to concede an unassailable 0-3 lead.”I still can’t get out the head the four catches we dropped today, that probably cost us,” Law said after the game. Mushfiqur received support from Tamim Iqbal, who was run out, while Shakib Al Hasan, debutant Shuvagoto Hom and Mahmudullah each got starts and looked good to get Bangladesh on track only for Zimbabwe to deliver timely strikes. From 229 for 5, Bangladesh collapsed to 245 all out. Mushfiqur was the last batsman to be dismissed, holing out to long-on in the final over with six needed, after having reached his century off the previous delivery.”You can’t blame him. He’s played one of the best innings of his career. It’s just a shame that a guy who plays an innings like that ends up in the losing team,” Law said. “He’s absolutely distraught in the dressing room. If some of the batsmen who got out before him did things differently, it would’ve been a different story.”While giving Zimbabwe credit for their win, Law said they had better preparation ahead of the series. “Zimbabwe have had fantastic preparation; they played tough cricket against Australia A and South Africa A, leading into the series,” he said. “Our preparation probably wasn’t ideal with monsoon at home. We played games against our Academy, probably not the sternest test before we come here and play a team that has played tough cricket.”While Zimbabwe coach Alan Butcher was aiming for a 5-0 sweep, Law was intent on preventing it. “I don’t think we need to lift the team anymore. We are well up for the game today, we fielded well in the first 20 overs. Lot of hustle, noise, encouragement. Some great stops. Even though the series is gone, there’s pride at stake.”It’s been a poor tour for Bangladesh so far; they also lost the one-off Test at the same venue, the Harare Sports Club. The next two ODIs will be played in Bulawayo. “We tried hard today. We had plans that we stuck to. It was looking pretty good at some stage but we came out the wrong side. We put up a good fight. Once again, credit to Zimbabwe. They showed how to bat.”It would be nice to get out of Harare to erase some bad memories of our cricket here.”

Lie detectors should not be used to investigate corruption in cricket as many courts around the world refuse to recognise their validity, according to the international players’ chief Tim May. Steve Waugh, a member of the MCC Cricket Committee, has proposed the use of lie detectors to expose players involved in fixing matches, and he took a polygraph this week to show how they worked.And while the England captain Andrew Strauss said he liked the idea of using lie detectors and would be happy to take a polygraph if they were introduced to catch corrupt cricketers, not all cricket figures share his opinion. May, the chief executive of the Federation of International Cricketers Associations (FICA), said his organisation “rejected outright” the idea of using lie detectors.”I commend MCC and Steve Waugh for trying to be proactive in the fight against corruption, but lie detector tests are far from foolproof and not permissible as a means of determining people’s guilt or innocence in the courts of the majority, if not all, cricketing territories,” May said. “It is therefore totally unacceptable that players should be put under pressure to submit to testing that is far fromfoolproof.”To publicly request players to make ‘some stand’ against corruption, by submitting to this ‘imperfect’ testing is irresponsible and FICA will oppose such actions in the strongest possible manner. The testing is far from foolproof – that’s why it’s not allowed to convict people in a court of law.”It’s a no win situation for the players – they quite rightly should decline to submit to one – the testing is not foolproof, the players are not under suspicion for any corruption offence but now with the MCC publicly encouraging them to submit to one, if the player refuses, it looks like he is hiding something.”May said he had written to the MCC to air FICA’s concerns over the matter. The Cricket Committee, which met at Lord’s this week, also suggested that the ICC’s Anti Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) should have the power to perform sting operations similar to that staged by the last year against Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif.

Ross Taylor’s prolific run-scoring during his time as New Zealand’s stand-in captain was a major factor in him beating Brendon McCullum for the full-time job. Taylor has been named as the captain in all three formats and the New Zealand Cricket (NZC) hierarchy believes he will operate in a similar style to his predecessor Daniel Vettori, who led by example, with minimal fuss.Taylor, 27, was preferred over McCullum after being interviewed by a three-man panel consisting of the coach John Wright, the director of cricket John Buchanan and the acting national selection manager Mark Greatbatch. The decision took nearly three months following the side’s return from the World Cup, where Vettori stepped down after the semi-final loss to Sri Lanka, and a vice-captain is unlikely to be named until the squad to tour Zimbabwe in September is announced.Greatbatch said Taylor had won out in part due to his success in as captain, having led the side to six victories from 14 ODIs and Twenty20s, compared to McCullum’s two wins from nine games in charge. Taylor has also batted well while at the helm, averaging 46.45 across both formats, while McCullum’s mark as captain is 26.22.”They’re both great Kiwis and good lads who have played for their country for a long time now,” Greatbatch told . “We had to make a tough decision and we’ve done that. I’m sure Ross will lead his country well. They were both very good candidiates. They’ve both had experience as vice-captain under Dan.”Both by nature are very good tactically and aggressive characters. Brendon might show it a bit more than Ross, but Ross is very competitive. He’s had the recent experience. He beat Australia and Pakistan recently as captain of New Zealand. He’s a good listener. His own game has improved as captain. He’s got a better record as captain than as a player. Those sorts of things were taken into consideration.”It will be a tough ask following the popular Vettori, who at one point was a selector as well as captain and the team’s best player. However, Greatbatch said Taylor was likely to lead in a similar manner to Vettori – from the front, with more emphasis on leading by example than delivering fire-and-brimstone motivational speeches.”He wasn’t that forceful to the players,” Greatbatch said of Vettori. “From his own form himself as a player he demanded excellence, because he was a pretty useful performer worldwide for us. I think Ross will be similar. He’ll be looking for his own game to be tip-top as often as he can, to be consistent. That to me is the biggest way to lead. If a captain can lead from the front with his own performance, then a lot of people follow.”Taylor conceded that he was “very quiet” and preferred to speak with individuals rather than larger groups, but said he was confident he could steer the side in the right direction. Taylor led the New Zealanders twice at the World Cup, where they went within one victory of making the final, and he said his challenge was to help them perform to a similar level in Test cricket.”I was very happy with the way we played in the World Cup and the fighting spirit we showed,” Taylor said. “We’ve been very inconsistent in the Test arena and we probably haven’t played as well as we would have liked. Each individual has to step up and commit to training hard and working hard as a team. We need to bat long periods of time with the bat and get 20 wickets. If we don’t do those two things very well then we’re going to struggle.”Test cricket is still the ultimate for me. I look forward to playing Test cricket. Some other people may differ, but for me Test cricket is still the ultimate and where I want to get the most out of myself and the team. Once that happens, one-day cricket and Twenty20 is also in there as well.”Taylor learnt of NZC’s decision while he was making preparations for his upcoming wedding, and he described it as “a great honour” to be installed as the captain. He said he was also hoping that his promotion might encourage more young players from Polynesian and Maori backgrounds to take up cricket.”I missed the phone call from John Buchanan,” he said. “I was trying to pick wedding songs for this coming Saturday. I had the music going a bit too loud. When it came through my partner was very happy and the first phone call was to Mum and Dad.”I’m very proud of my Samoan heritage,” he added. “With this role, not only playing for New Zealand but captaining, hopefully I can inspire some more Polynesians and Maoris to this game of cricket. They’re very talented athletes and I’m sure it’s an untapped market. You never know, in ten years’ time there could be a few more.”