Tom Taylor is relishing his role as Worcestershire Rapids new ball enforcer in white ball cricket as he prepares for Sunday’s Metro Bank One Day Cup encounter against his former club Northamptonshire Steelbacks at The County Ground (11am start).
The all-rounder was often at the forefront of the action in the Vitality Blast initial six over powerplays and finished as the Rapids leading wicket-taker for 2024 with 17 scalps.
Now Taylor is being employed in that attacking role in the One Day Cup and last Sunday picked up three wickets in his dramatic opening over in the 93-run win over Durham at Visit Worcestershire New Road.
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He destroyed the cream of the Durham batting in dismissing skipper Alex Lees, Bas de Leede and Colin Ackermann and mixed aggression with some excellent swing bowling.
Taylor finished with figures of 6-1-14-3 and is certainly thriving with the responsibility of currently being the only fit senior member of the Rapids pace attack.
He was rested for Friday’s One Day Cup match with Derbyshire but returns to the attack against the Steelbacks.
Taylor, who signed a four year contract at New Road last winter, said: “Enjoying the responsibility? There is one thing it has allowed me to do and that’s to go out and be really aggressive with that new ball.
“It has given me the opportunity to do that in the T20s and now in this 50 over competition.
“To go out and try and swing that white ball is something I’m really enjoying. I’ve not had a lot of experience of doing that in the past how many years.
“There are always guys to come in and do that, your overseas players, but it’s something I’ve shown I can do and have added to my game.
“My wicket record with that new ball is pretty good so I’m pretty happy with that.
“In the past, I’ve bowled the first or second over occasionally but I’ve never tried to really swing it.
“You try and hit the pitch and get a bit out of it that way but the white balls seems to have swung nicely this year and I hope that continues.”
Regarding his spectacular over last Sunday, Taylor added: “I think I’ve done three wickets in an over before but I’m not sure in the first over of a game.
“It would also have been nice to break that Borthwick-McKinnen stand. To get three in an over is amazing, but to get one more would have tried to kill the game.
“I felt like I bowled nicely this year in the Blast and it was a shame as a bowling group that we struggled at the end which probably cost us a couple of games.
“It was just one of those competitions where a lot of close games could have gone either way and, if you stick those as ones that went our way, we would probably have ended up just qualifying.
“It’s a very fickle game but something can go either way and hopefully it goes the other way next year.”
Worcestershire will be bidding for another winning performance against Taylor’s former club.
Taylor said: “There are a lot of bowlers injured. It is a bit of a shame. But we’ve proved with our early performances that we are a good side without a lot of guys.
“Hopefully we get through this competition unscathed and those last five Championship games are massive for the club in their push to finish as high as possible.”
Taylor is more than happy to pass on his considerable experience to the youngsters being given an opportunity in the Blast and now the One Day Cup.
He said: “It’s just bits when I can, more about fields and ideas. Cricket, especially bowling in this format, it is about doing the basics really well, holding your length and being relentless with that and using the right options at the right time.
“That is something I feel like I can give advice on occasionally when they need it. But a lot of these younger guys now have played quite a lot of white ball cricket and are quite experienced and they’ve got their own ideas, which is brilliant because it’s really fresh.
“I’m very happy that Jack Home has come into the group and shown what he can do and he has been truly himself which is what you want.
“You don’t want guys to come in and feel like they have to be in their shell and not do something that is not their strength.
“His strength is massively to come in and run in and bowl quick and bowl heavy length. Occasionally that might lead to boundaries but that is also going to be a lot of fun to watch and hopefully he will get plenty of wickets.”
Taylor is making up for lost time after shoulder and knee injuries, suffered during a collision in a Seconds match, ruled him out of the opening block of Vitality County Championship cricket.
He said: “I felt like I’ve come in and played a lot of cricket. It would have been nice to start the season, and I ended up missing seven Championship games, which I’m gutted about because I feel I can really make an impact in that side.”
Taylor is the only change in the 14 man squad, replacing Tommy Sturgess who is recovering from illness.
Worcestershire Rapids
1 Fateh Singh
2 Jake Libby (C)
7 Ed Pollock
9 Gareth Roderick (W)
11 Rehaan Edavalath
12 Tom Taylor
13 Henry Cullen
14 Olly Cox
24 Jack Home
25 Hishaam Khan
41 Harry Darley
42 Tom Hinley
77 Ethan Brookes
88 Rob Jones
