Stafani Taylor has Chris Gayle’s talent, without the crap

Stafani Taylor has Chris Gayle’s talent, without the crap

Ben Horne
The Daily Telegraph

THE West Indies powerhouse who threatens to steal the Southern Stars thunder in Kolkata is best described as Chris Gayle without the crap.
Stafani Taylor is the women’s game undisputed No. 1 Twenty20 cricketer who can clear fences and intimidate opposition through her sheer presence on the field.
The Sydney Thunder said never again to the self-proclaimed ‘Universe Boss’ a couple of years ago, but in the inaugural season of the WBBL they landed the Caribbean sensation they always wanted.

West Indies captain Stafanie Taylor with Australian captain Meg Lanning ahead of the World Twenty20 final in India.

Taylor is an out-and-out match-winner and crowd-pleaser, but unlike Gayle, she stands apart as a talent whose attitude is team-oriented rather than selfish, and a role model who young players can genuinely look up to.
And Taylor says the West Indies are determined to win the World Twenty20 for the first time.
“We’re not intimidated at all. If anything, they should be,” Taylor said.
“They’ve won it three times and we have nothing to lose really.
“We definitely want to grasp this and win the Cup for the first time.”

On one hand the WBBL has given the Southern Stars’ an insight they otherwise wouldn’t have had into the Windies’ opening batter.
She attended Australian vice-captain and Thunder skipper Alex Blackwell’s family Christmas in the Snowy Mountains, sheared a sheep, tried her hand at paddle boarding and put a Jamaican-style feast on for teammates at her Surry Hills apartment.
But knowing what makes this driven athlete tick doesn’t make her any easier to contain.
Heading into tonight’s blockbuster final, Taylor is the tournament’s second-highest run-scorer and third-highest wicket-taker — a Gayle-force superstar with a win-at-all-costs mentality.


Taylor sets the tempo at the top of the order and takes wickets too.Source:AP

“Stafani has a lot of presence in terms of both off the field and at the crease. We often forgot she was only 24,” said Thunder boss, Nick Cummins.
“That’s just how she carries herself.
“She can clear the fence, not just the rope which is obviously intimidating for the bowlers.
“In her own way she’s quite a similar player to Chris Gayle, then off the field a really good leader.

“She certainly put a lot of pressure on herself as well saying … ‘I expect to be the best batter and the best bowler’ and she certainly leads by example. We’re extremely hopeful she’ll be coming back to play next year.”
Taylor is close friends with the Thunder’s male West Indian marquee man Andre Russell and the club will try and lock the double act down again after this World Twenty20 final is complete.

The West Indian captain is a popular figure at the Sydney Thunder.

Southern Stars’ deputy Blackwell certainly hopes that’s the case after becoming close to Taylor through the summer.
However, Blackwell says Taylor’s athletic ability and self-belief makes her a weapon that’s difficult to tame, even with some inside knowledge into how she operates.

“She’s just a fantastic all-round player. She bats up the top of the order and brings herself onto bowl to get key wickets,” Blackwell says.
“She hits the ball as clean as anyone and she’s a very powerful athlete. She’s got all the gears.
“We’ve got to look to get her early and I think that could unsettle the West Indies given she’s had such a bearing on their innings’ throughout the tournament.”

www.news.com.au/sport/australia-v-west-i...7e3ee6a7c5f639ff32b0

I was very impressed with the ladies WT20 this year, particularly the conviction and talent of the Windies!


They deserved to end up as victors!