He was keen: Ross Taylor reveals Ben Stokes came close to playing for New Zealand

Former New Zealand cricketer Ross Taylor once again made headlines on Sunday, August 15, when parts of his autobiography emerged, which revealed that Ben Stokes, who is also England’s Test captain, wanted to play for the Kiwis. However, his wish never saw the light of day.

Taylor, 38, revealed in his autobiography that he had asked a young Ben Stokes whether he would be interested in representing New Zealand in international cricket. Stokes, who is currently the England Test captain, seemed interested in the prospect, Taylor wrote.

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“He (Stokes) was 18 or 19 and very much a Kiwi. Over a Guinness, I asked him if he wanted to come and play in New Zealand,” Taylor revealed in his autobiography. He also wrote that Stokes’ interest was also communicated to New Zealand Cricket CEO of that time, Justin Vaughan. Vaughan wanted Stokes to earn his New Zealand call-up by playing from the bottom, but the deal was never finished as the youngster later decided to represent England instead.

“He was keen so I sent a message to New Zealand Cricket CEO Justin Vaughan saying this guy Stokes was a really good young cricketer and interested in playing for New Zealand,” Taylor wrote in his autobiography.

“Vaughan replied along the lines that he could start playing domestic cricket and we’d see where it went. I went back saying we’d have to offer him more than that because he wouldn’t be interested if it meant starting on the bottom rung of the ladder. Obviously, it didn’t come to anything,” he added.

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Ben Stokes was eligible to represent both England and New Zealand, as he was born in Christchurch to English parents.

Stokes was one of England’s most crucial players in the final of the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2019 when they defeated New Zealand in the final.

It is the second time in the past couple of days that Ross Taylor has made the headlines. Recently, another portion of his autobiography went viral where he revealed that he was slapped by a Rajasthan Royals owner after he was dismissed for a duck in an IPL match in 2011.