Ross Taylor will be back in international colours next month, only this time the shirt is Samoan blue rather than New Zealand black. The 41-year-old has been named in Samoa’s 15-man squad for the Asia–East Asia-Pacific qualifier in Oman, the first step on the road to the 2026 T20 World Cup.
“It’s official – I’m proud to announce that I’ll be pulling on the blue and representing Samoa in cricket,” Taylor said on Instagram. “This is more than just a return to the game I love – it’s the huge honour to represent my heritage, culture, villages, and family.”
Key facts first: Taylor qualifies through his mother’s Samoan heritage and the completion of a three-year stand-down since his final New Zealand match, an ODI at Hamilton in April 2022. He retired with 19 years of service, 112 Tests, 236 ODIs and 102 T20Is, and remains fifth on New Zealand’s all-time T20I run list with 1909. Numbers tell only part of the story, yet they hint at the experience Samoa hope to tap into.
Captain Caleb Jasmat again leads the side, and Taylor is not the sole reinforcement. Left-hand batter-seamer Sean Solia, 32, fresh off another solid domestic season with Auckland, comes in as well. Those two add ballast to a batting order already containing Darius Visser, whose six sixes in one over against Vanuatu last year travelled neatly across social feeds.
The qualifier itself is mildly complicated but worth spelling out. Samoa advanced by edging out Vanuatu, Cook Islands and Fiji in preliminary events. They now join Japan and regional heavyweights Papua New Guinea as East Asia-Pacific representatives. The Asia group – Oman, Nepal, Kuwait, Malaysia, Qatar and the UAE – provides stiffer opposition, with only the top finishers moving on to the global stage. Put simply, Samoa must beat several full-time professional outfits to keep the dream alive.
Taylor thinks his role is as much mentor as match-winner. “I’m excited for the opportunity to give back to the game, join the squad, and share my experience on and off the field,” he added in the same post. Those words resonate for a side still amateur in structure but ambitious in scope.
Analytically, Taylor’s presence should lift run-scoring in the powerplay, an area where Samoa have tended to stall. The extra left-hand option in Solia can also disturb bowling plans that are too easily set for right-handers. Bowling remains the thinner suit – seamer Ben Mailata and leg-spinner Ili Tugaga must find control quickly on Omani pitches that can punish anything loose.
The wider significance is not lost either. A former Black Caps skipper representing a Pacific Island nation underlines how cricket’s eligibility rules can strengthen emerging teams without compromising competitive balance. If Samoa do reach the World Cup, youngsters in Apia and Savai’i will know the pathway is real.
Samoa squad: Caleb Jasmat (capt), Ross Taylor, Darius Visser, Sean Solia, Daniel Burgess, Douglas Finau, Sam French, Kurtis Hynam-Nyberg, Ben Mailata, Noah Mead, Solomon Nash, Samson Sola, Fereti Sululoto, Saumani Tiai, Ili Tugaga.
The qualifiers begin in Muscat on 18 October. Taylor has played on bigger stages, of course, but few occasions will carry quite the same personal weight.
