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Full name Leslie Brian Taylor
Born October 25, 1953, Earl Shilton, Leicestershire
Current age 54 years 356 days
Major teams England,Leicestershire,Natal
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm fast-medium
Height
6 ft 3 in
Education Heathfield High School, Earl Shilton
Batting and fielding averages
Mat
Inns
NO
Runs
HS
Ave
BF
SR
100
50
4s
6s
Ct
St
Tests
2
1
1
1
1*
-
10
10.00
0
0
0
0
1
0
ODIs
2
1
1
1
1*
-
6
16.66
0
0
0
0
0
0
First-class
218
199
86
1061
60
9.38
0
53
0
List A
210
65
44
166
15*
7.90
0
0
42
0
Bowling averages
Mat
Inns
Balls
Runs
Wkts
BBI
BBM
Ave
Econ
SR
4w
5w
10
Tests
2
4
381
178
4
2/34
3/73
44.50
2.80
95.2
0
0
0
ODIs
2
2
84
47
0
-
-
-
3.35
-
0
0
0
First-class
218
31480
14648
581
7/28
25.21
2.79
54.1
18
1
List A
210
9561
6468
302
6/35
6/35
21.41
4.05
31.6
8
4
0
Career statistics
Test debut
England v Australia at Birmingham, Aug 15-20, 1985 scorecard
Last Test
England v Australia at The Oval, Aug 29-Sep 2, 1985 scorecard
Test statistics
ODI debut
West Indies v England at Kingston, Feb 18, 1986 scorecard
Last ODI
England v India at The Oval, May 24, 1986 scorecard
ODI statistics
First-class span
1977 - 1990
List A span
1977 - 1990
Profile
Les Taylor was one of the last of a breed - an English seamer from down the mines. Tall and muscular, he used accuracy and movement off the seam to good effect, and although he was 23 before he made his Leicestershire debut, he quickly established himself in the side. In 1981 he took 75 wickets, but threw in his lot with Graham Gooch's rebel tour to South Africa when overlooked by the selectors. On that trip he was the leading bowler with 11 wickets at 18.72. He made his England debut in 1985 after serving a three-year ban, playing the final two Tests of the summer. He did enough to win selection for that winter's tour of the Caribbean, but so rare were his outings in the West Indies that he was dubbed "Lord Lucan" by sections of the media. His career was dogged by niggling injuries - Martin Johnson once wrote that when Taylor was playing "the Grace Road physiotherapist got through more work than a Skegness donkey". As a batsman, Taylor was a genuine No. 11 - on one occasion with Leicestershire needing 20 to avoid the follow-on, Taylor arrived at the crease to face a rampaging Sylvester Clarke. David Gower, the Leicestershire captain, shook his head. "I just can't do it," he said, and declared.
Martin Williamson
