James Taylor, once compared to Scrappy-Doo from the Scooby-Doo cartoons by Joe Root – the man for whom he has stepped in this series – goes into Saturday’s second one-day international with Australia at Lord’s with a “let me at ’em” attitude that he claims is indicative of England’s mindset this summer.
Gone are the days, claims Taylor, when a defeat like the one suffered in Southampton on Thursday night – bowled out for 246 when well set chasing 306 under lights – would see heads drop. While the reaction was one of disappointment, the No3 insists this is no longer the case under the captain Eoin Morgan and head coach Trevor Bayliss.
“In the past England teams would have been on the back foot,” Taylor said. “But even after the defeat, the guys are confident. The environment is really positive and one I haven’t been in before. We’ll be looking to get level by Saturday night.”
Like his Hanna-Barbera equivalent, Taylor proved something of an annoyance during the second innings, with Shane Watson celebrating his dismissal on 49 with a somewhat pointed stare. The recipient took it as a compliment.
“You always want to make an in impression on the opposition and you know you have done that when you get a send-off,” said Taylor, who scored an unbeaten 98 in February’s World Cup opener between the two sides. “They’ve done that a number of times and it’s always nice.”
The shot – a dance down the wicket, only to be clean bowled – came off to the tune of six runs at the start of his innings and Taylor has no intention of putting it back in the locker. As with the mow to point that saw top-scorer Jason Roy out for 67, it is simply the downside of part of England’s aggressive philosophy.
“People will have seen that when I go big, that’s a shot I have played. It was in my arc but it was just the execution. When you miss, you look silly but that is the way it is. If I want to take a bowler down, I will go into it wholeheartedly rather than pussyfoot around.”
Taylor has had to draw on these reserves of positivity this summer, having returned from the World Cup as one of the few brighter lights in an otherwise disappointing winter, even captaining the side against Ireland in May only to find himself squeezed out in the 3-2 win over New Zealand the following month.
While his return to the starting XI at first-drop comes through Root’s resting, the Nottinghamshire right-hander is determined to ensure he will not be the one to make way when England’s blue-eyed talisman eventually returns.
“When I got whispers of the team against New Zealand [in June], I was bitterly disappointed but I got over it quickly. I have been knocked down before and got up stronger. Joe may be resting but I want to be in this squad as long as possible, and make it as hard as possible to be left out. It’s up to me to do that.”
Taylor is also keen to impress Bayliss – this series represents his first time working under the Australian – and earn a return to the Test squad for the October series with Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates, where he believes his prowess against the turning ball can flourish.
Can strong returns in the one-dayers nudge the selectors? “The UAE would be a great opportunity if given that chance. I love playing spin as well and there will be a lot bowled out there. Runs are runs, regardless of format.As long as you are doing the right things – winning games for the side you are playing in – it makes a statement to the selectors.”
His next opportunity to do so comes around quickly, with England reporting no casualties from the opener, although they will surely ponder utilising one of their reserve seamers in David Willey, Liam Plunkett or Reece Topley.
MCC has confirmed a sell-out crowd of just under 29,000 – it was advertising a handful of late returned tickets on Friday – in what is the famous old ground’s penultimate major match day of the season before the Royal London Cup final on 19 September.
That competition throws up something of a conundrum for the England management over the next three days, with the semi-finals – Yorkshire v Gloucester on Sunday, and Surrey v Notts on Monday – coming before Tuesday’s day-nighter against Australia at Old Trafford.
Taylor is keen to play in his county’s game at the Kia Oval having captained them to this point of the tournament but knows the national side may yet choose not to release him, with similar calls needing to be made on his team-mate Hales, Surrey’s Jason Roy, , the Yorkshire pair of Liam Plunkett and Adil Rashid.
The games are, however, knockout one-day cricket, which would provide the kind of domestic 50-over experience around which the negotiations for the new county schedule appear to be revolving, as England hope to maximise their chances of winning the 2017 Champions Trophy and 2019 World Cup on home soil.
