What are some of the Records Created by Stafanie Taylor?
- She is one of the leading run-getters in the history of West Indies women’s cricket.
- She is only the third women cricketer to score more than 5000 ODI runs.
- She is the fastest to score atleast 5000 ODI runs.
- She has the fifth highest number of centuries in women’s ODI cricket.
- She has the highest number of the 90s in women’s ODIs.
- She is the only women cricketer to have atleast 5000 runs and more than 100 wickets in ODIs.
- She has claimed the highest wickets in the form of caught and bowled.
- She is the first woman cricketer to score a century and claim four wickets in the same ODI inning.
- She is the first West Indian woman to win ICC Cricketer of the Year award.
Welcoming West Indies Skipper Stafanie Taylor to the 5000 ODI Runs Club 🙌😃
She is also the fastest female player to reach this milestone.
Congratulations @stafanie07 on the record. pic.twitter.com/Ap6E81gsor
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) November 16, 2021
These are just some of the records which this Jamaica-born cricketer holds. So, who is she? She is none other than Stafanie Roxann Taylor.
Stafanie Taylor completes 5000 ODI Runs
On November 14, the captain of the West Indies entered the record books as she joined the 5000 ODI runs club in the world of women’s cricket. Playing against Pakistan at the National Stadium in Karachi, the swashbuckling right-hand bat muscled 102 not out off 117 balls, including a dozen boundaries. In the same match, bowling her off-spin, she struck with 1-17 in her four overs and rightfully bagged the player of the match award for guiding her team to a comprehensive six-wicket win and a 3-0 series white wash.
Stafanie Taylor as a Batting Legend
Having made her ODI debut in 2008 as a teenager, Taylor has gone from strength to strength over the last 13 years. Within two years of her international career, she mustered 1000 ODI runs and became the youngest player at just 19 years of age to achieve the feat. Three years later, at the age of 22, she clobbered 171 runs against Sri Lanka in Mumbai during the World Cup to become the third-highest run-getter in an ODI inning (at present, she ranks seventh). She is also among the top 10 batters to score the most number of runs in a series (857 and 843) and among the top five batters to score the most number of runs (807) in a calendar year (2005). With 36 half-centuries, she is third on the list of batters to register the most 50+ scores in women’s ODI cricket.
Stafanie Taylor’s magic with the ball
Though an exceptional batter, she is more than handy with the ball. The right arm-off spinner has 146 ODI wickets in 123 innings, including the best of 4-17. She has a miserly economy rate of 3.44 and an average of 21.58. With 146 wickets in her kitty, she is the eighth highest wicket-taker in women’s ODI cricket. She is also sixth on the list of bowlers to claim the most wickets in a series (32). Over the last 13 years, she has bowled a whopping sum of 5483 balls, which makes her the eighth highest bowler to bowl those many balls in ODIs.
Stafanie Taylor – the Gun Fielder
In addition to her batting and bowling, she is an electric fielder. She can field in any position and is brilliant on the field. She is the third on the list of fielders to hold on to the most number of catches (60) in the ODI career. She is also fourth and eighth respectively in terms of catches in an innings (3) and catches in a series (11).
Stafanie Taylor’s Captaincy Records
Apart from her all-round abilities, she has been a wonderful leader. She took over the captainship in 2015 from Merissa Aguilleira and in her very first series as a captain, she steered her team to a 3-1 win against Pakistan in the home series. In that bilateral series, she was the player of the match on two occasions. She also won the player of the series for her stellar performance with both bat and ball. She plundered 264 runs and claimed four wickets. The highest point in her captainship journey came in the year 2016, when she led her team to a T20 World Cup title beating the defending champions Australia. She won the player of the match for her outstanding performance with both bat and ball. She hammered 246 runs in six innings and picked up eight wickets. She was the leading run-getter in the tournament and the fourth-highest wicket-taker.
A cricketer can be good with the bat or the ball or on the field. However, a cricketer that is great in all three departments with an innate leadership quality is unequivocally as rare as a hen’s teeth. Not only is West Indies’ cricket but also the world of women’s cricket is blessed to have a player like Stafanie Taylor. There is seldom any doubt that she will be an inspiration as well as a role model for the young girls, who want to play the sport and pursue it as a career.
When Stafanie Taylor chose to bless Cricket
Football and Cricket were the two sports that she grew up playing. When it came to choosing between the two, she opted for cricket. Indeed, cricket is grateful and indebted to have a player like her playing the sport and let’s hope that in years to come this talented, dashing, hardworking and rollicking rock star on the cricket field breaks many records and gives the world reasons to celebrate women’s cricket. Breaking records for breakfast is the habit that she has developed and over the years to come, it is more than likely she will break many more of those.
I am a former cricketer having represented Mumbai University at All India University level. I was a part of MCA probables for the U-19 and U-23 age group. I have been an avid cricket writer for the last five years. Currently I am pursuing my Ph.D from IIT Bombay.