SHARJAH // Where has James Taylor been hiding all this time? Given the diminutive stature of a player his colleagues refer to as “Titch” there must be a joke that can be made at this point.
The truth, though, is more prosaic than suggesting something like he was stood behind one of the fast bowlers for the past three and a half years.
Given the runs he has harvested in his years in the wilderness, it is fair to say Taylor has been hiding in plain sight.
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Finally granted a recall, he staked a claim for a long stay – both at the wicket in a Test match England need to win to share the series, and in a side still looking for answers to middle-order batting questions.
In making an unbeaten 74 at Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Taylor carried England to a position where they are about to pass Pakistan’s first-innings tally of 234.
The way he did it spoke of a player of great class, in some of the most demanding conditions anywhere in the Test game.
Some England players have claimed during this trip that they have the best player of spin bowling in the world in their ranks, in the form of Joe Root.
On the evidence of the second day’s play in Sharjah, Root might not even be the best in his own batting line-up against the twirlers.
Pakistan have a battery of fine, experienced slow bowlers, and some facilities here that could not seem any more made-to-order if they had arrived on the back of a moped in a pizza box.
And Yasir Shah, the most potent of them all, is still on a high from getting an audience with his idol, Shane Warne, before this game.
Each of them probed, yet none has yet found a way past Taylor. Fair to say he was busy – the choice of words of Ian Bell, one of his batting partners, but one that any onlooker would have attributed to Taylor’s method.
His footwork, both forward, back and across his crease, was a salient feature. So, too, was the rate at which his legs moved between the wickets, which seems to be a standard demand when Jonny Bairstow is at the other end.
Their unbroken alliance of 83 was characterised by the amount they ran. That was necessary, given how difficult scoring is at this ground.
Paul Radley’s session-by-session report
There have been just 19 boundaries in 92 overs of England’s innings so far, thanks to a number of contributing factors. The trademark low bounce. The need for extra vigilance because of the pronounced turn the spinners have been getting. And outfield that is slower than a snail hitching a ride on the back of a tortoise.
“He played brilliantly,” Bell said of Taylor.
“That was a great way to go out and start again. That was exactly what he would have liked. I’m sure he is very happy and so he should be. It shows good character to go back to county cricket and grind out runs.
“Any opportunity he has had, he has grabbed it. Hopefully this is the start for him of kicking on. He has got a lot of ability and hopefully we are going to see a lot of that over the next few years.”
pradley@thenational.ae
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