Bob Taylor (cricketer)

Bob Taylor

Taylor batting vs NZ, February 1978
Personal information
Full name	Robert William Taylor
Born	(1941-07-17) 17 July 1941 (age 83) Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England
Nickname	Chat
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Right arm medium
Role	Wicket-keeper
International information
National side	England
Test debut (cap 449)	25 February 1971 v New Zealand
Last Test	24 March 1984 v Pakistan
ODI debut (cap 25)	5 September 1973 v West Indies
Last ODI	25 February 1984 v New Zealand
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1961–1988	Derbyshire
Career statistics
Competition Test ODI FC LA Matches 57 27 639 333 Runs scored 1,156 130 12,065 2,227 Batting average 16.28 13.00 16.92 14.84 100s/50s 0/3 0/0 1/23 0/1 Top score 97 26* 100 53* Balls bowled 12 – 117 – Wickets 0 – 1 – Bowling average – – 75.00 – 5 wickets in innings – – 0 – 10 wickets in match – – 0 – Best bowling – – 1/23 – Catches/stumpings 167/7 26/6 1473/176 345/75
Medal record Men's Cricket Representing  England ICC Cricket World Cup Runner-up 1979 England
Source: Cricinfo, 17 November 2008

Robert William Taylor MBE (born 17 July 1941) is an English former cricketer who played as wicket-keeper for Derbyshire between 1961 and 1984 and for England between 1971 and 1984. He made 57 Test, and 639 first-class cricket appearances in total, taking 1,473 catches. The 2,069 victims across his entire career is the most of any wicket-keeper in first-class history.^[1] He is considered one of the world's most accomplished wicket-keepers.^[2] He made his first-class debut for Minor Counties against South Africa in 1960, having made his Staffordshire debut in 1958. He became Derbyshire's first choice wicket-keeper when George Dawkes sustained a career-ending injury. His final First Class appearance was at the Scarborough Festival in 1988. He remained first choice until his retirement except for a short period in 1964 when Laurie Johnson was tried as a batsman-wicketkeeper. He was a part of the English squad which finished as runners-up at the 1979 Cricket World Cup.

Taylor made his Test debut in 1971 in New Zealand at the end of the successful Ashes winning tour. Though highly regarded, Taylor was unable to displace incumbent Alan Knott, a talented keeper and a superior batsman. It was only when Knott joined World Series Cricket in 1977 that Taylor appeared in more Tests and was selected as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1977. He continued to be England's choice keeper through the 1970s, falling three short of a maiden Test century in the 1978–79 Ashes, and retiring from Tests in 1984 – though he would make an emergency appearance for a day of Test cricket in 1986 – and all first-class cricket in 1988.^[3]