USA opener Steven Taylor is gearing up for a special moment when he faces the West Indies, the team he admired growing up, during the T20 World Cup 2024 at Kensington Oval, Barbados, on Friday night. Despite his American birth, Taylor, whose parents are Jamaican, fondly recalls supporting the West Indies and plans to belt out David Rudder's "Rally Round The West Indies" internally as he takes the field.
Raised on the southeast coast of the USA, Taylor's Caribbean roots have always kept him connected to the West Indies cricket. He expressed that playing against the West Indies would be "a wonderful feeling," noting, "I’m representing my parents and my Jamaican heritage." Even though he is American by birth, Taylor humorously mentioned that he sometimes speaks more Jamaican than American.
While a defeat won't necessarily eliminate the USA from the tournament, their chances of progressing to the semi-finals hinge on winning their remaining games. Reflecting on his cricketing journey, Taylor reminisced about idolising legends like Brian Lara and Chris Gayle. He remarked on the surreal opportunity to play against the West Indies on the world stage, acknowledging it could be an incredible experience to potentially win against his childhood heroes.
Taylor was part of the USA team that narrowly lost to the West Indies by 39 runs during the 50-over World Cup qualifier in Zimbabwe last year. He believes that match demonstrated their capability to challenge top teams and affirmed their potential to win when playing good cricket on the day.
Discussing the upcoming match, Taylor shared that as a child, he often sang the "rally" song, but stated that now he is representing his birth country, hoping to secure a victory against the West Indies. When asked if he would be singing the anthem on Friday, he chuckled and admitted that he did so quietly to himself last time.
Taylor, who has played for three different Caribbean Premier League (CPL) franchises and regional cricket for Jamaica, is eager to compete against familiar faces, particularly Akeal Hosein, his former teammate from the Barbados Tridents. Taylor mentioned he is well-acquainted with Hosein's bowling strategies and humorously added that he would be "hunting him, the first ball." He is also looking forward to facing Andre Russell, describing him as a "big brother."
In their opening Super Eight match against South Africa in Antigua, the USA fell short by 18 runs. However, Taylor drew encouragement from Andries Gous' unbeaten 80 and the team's resilient bowling performance after a challenging start.
Taylor concluded by expressing confidence in his team's performance, noting that they are playing good cricket and have a strong team spirit. He acknowledged their underdog status in the Super Eights but accentuated their commitment to playing their best cricket, accepting that outcomes would follow the quality of their play.