by Arunabha Sengupta
Lord’s, 25 July 1986.
Bob Taylor had played the last of his 57 Tests two and a half years ago at Lahore.
A shame that he did not play more. Because Taylor was good. Very good.
Once he stood up to John Lever’s fast medium, took the ball down the leg side and whipped off the bails in one action with Javed Miandad out of his crease. That is what Taylor always maintained. However, the umpire, who else but the infamous Shakoor Rana, had been looking up at the stands, his eyes everywhere but on the game. He had not been expecting a stumping decision with a pace bowler in operation. “Very sorry,” he had said apologetically. “Not out.”
Now, at the age of 45, Taylor had well and truly hung up his boots and gloves. He had retired from Derbyshire two years ago and was working for Cornhill, the official sponsors of Test cricket in England. He was at Lord’s for the second day of the second Test against New Zealand.
Taylor had heard that England had been bowled out (for 307) at the stroke of lunch that day. But he knew little more. His job was looking after the hospitality marquee for Cornhill.
Well, he also knew that wicketkeeper Bruce French had been struck on the head by a Richard Hadlee bouncer, but he did not think much of it.
The fact was that French was severely concussed.
At lunch Taylor was looking after the Cornhill guests in the marquee when the curator of the indoor cricket school came to the table and said Mike Gatting was on the phone.
When Taylor spoke, out of the blue Gatting asked if he could keep wickets.
Taylor thought it was a joke. But Gatting sounded serious. Anyway, the England captain was not one for practical jokes during lunch. He said that he’d asked the New Zealand captain Jeremy Coney. The rather laid back Kiwi skipper had agreed. There was not much time, Taylor had to decide then and there.
Taylor said he would.
He had some kit in the car, for the charity matches he used to play off and on. The car was parked at the Hilton opposite the ground. By the time he had walked there, back and then navigated through the maze of stewards in the pavilion to get to the dressing room, the England players were just about to go into the ground.
French was still in the hospital, and so Taylor borrowed his shirt and flannels. And while he changed, Bill Athey kept for a couple of overs.
As he trotted into the field, Athey pulled off his pads and gloves with great alacrity. He was shaking like a leaf.
“Thank goodness you’ve come,” Athey said.
“How do you think I feel?” asked Taylor gruffly.
He kept with his usual finesse. Class is, after all, permanent.
When they came in at tea, the rest of the players started getting into their blazers. Taylor realised with a shock that the Queen was about to meet the team. He was coaxed to go along, and finally did.
As Her Majesty made her way around shaking hands with each member of the team, she stopped in front of Taylor. “I understand you're a substitute?” she asked.
Speaks volumes for the royal aides of Buckingham Palace responsible for briefing.
Taylor kept without blemish for the rest of the day.
The following morning the England physio told him that French had recovered. Taylor was relieved and was making his way to the marquee when he heard someone shouting his name.
“Bob! Bob!”
It was Gatting, running after him in tearing hurry. “Bruce’s gone dizzy and can't stand up straight. Could you keep again?”
Taylor thought it was taking a bit of liberty to ask him to do it again, but agreed to keep till lunch. Meanwhile Hampshire’s Bobby Parks had been asked to come and take over.
After keeping most of the session, Taylor noticed Parks on the balcony a few overs before lunch. He came off and Parks took over. It later turned out that Parks had been to an all-night party in Southampton the night before, and hadn't got to sleep until 6am that morning.
“He played all right, though,” Taylor recalled. Four keepers for England in that game.
Bob Taylor was good enough to keep for England at 45. He had been good enough to keep for England for most of the quarter of a century before that. But the selectors opted for a better batsman.
Taylor averaged just 16 with the bat in his 57 Tests while Alan Knott, five years younger, scored at 32.75 in his 95.
Hence, Taylor, the best keeper in England, played just one Test before he turned 36. He became a regular only when Tony Greig roped Knott in for the Packer Circus in 1977-78.
Bob Taylor was born on 17 July 1941.