Ross Taylor cuts short his T20 Blast stint due to family reasons

New Zealand star batsman Ross Taylor, who was leading Sussex until recently in the ongoing NatWest T20 Blast, has returned home early owing to family reasons, the club announced on Wednesday. Sussex will play their final league fixture without him.

Currently, the team occupies the fourth spot on the table with 12 points to their name in the South Group table. Taylor led his team to 4 victories in 13 matches and lost 5 games. Sussex are scheduled to play their last match of the group stages against Essex on Friday.

“It’s a blow to us to lose Ross,” Sussex head coach Mark Davis said in a statement released by the club. “However, that gives somebody else an opportunity to represent the club in a very important game on Friday night. We wish Ross and his family all the best,” he added.

Though, it is still unclear whether the experienced Kiwi batsman will return if Sussex qualifies for the playoffs. The news about his availability will be clear soon as the quarterfinals of the competition are slated to be played next week.

It has also been confirmed that the wicket keeper-batsman, Ben Brown will lead the side in the absence of their regular skipper. Brown has featured in all the games so far this season and has performed decently with the bat as well.

Taylor in T20 Blast this season

The New Zealander led Sussex in all the 13 league matches this season but has blown hot and cold with the bat. He has accumulated only 177 runs in 12 innings at a below par strike rate of 112.73. His leadership skills have been brilliant under pressure situations which has allowed Sussex to stay afloat in the competition.

His national teammates are currently enjoying a period away from the usually hectic international calendar and are playing for their respective franchises in different leagues. While Ross was playing in T20 Blast, Kane Williamson, the skipper of the national side, has been enjoying his stint in Caribbean Premier League (CPL) with Barbados Tridents.