BY ENOCK MUCHINJO
HARARE – In March 2022, Getting High on Life Recovery Retreat, in the stunningly beautiful Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe, received its most famous patient since establishment.
Two months before checking into the rehabilitation centre, former Zimbabwe cricket captain Brendan Taylor had been banned for three and a half years by the International Cricket Council (ICC) after admitting to a drug-related charge and a match-fixing approach he however didn’t execute.
To Taylor’s legion of fans across the globe, the shock development marked a culmination of the lowest point in the life of the ex-Zimbabwe batting kingpin, for nearly a decade his country’s only world-class player.
But for Taylor himself, the whole episode was a necessary evil.
“The suspension, when it came, I guess it was a small blow,” Taylor tells SportsCast in an exclusive interview this week.
“But that paled into insignificance when you consider where my life was at that time. I wasn’t too concerned about my suspension, I was more worried about saving my life – being a father again, being a husband. So what was so crucial at that time was to get the necessary help. Then I started to mend. Three months in a rehabilitation centre does not guarantee your long-term sobriety. It’s a daily reprieve to continue that programme of life, and that design for living. By doing that, one day at a time, you can achieve long-term sobriety. So just for today, I’m again sober, and I’ll repeat that process tomorrow, through spiritual fitness and staying true to the programme that I was so fortunate to receive. I met a lot of wonderful people along the way who found me in the hole, and brought me out of it. Ja, family was massive as well, you know, once I sort of loaded all the internal chaos I was trying to deal with for so long, the family really rallied behind me and did everything they could to provide me the best care. I was extremely willing to go to any lengths to turn my life around, so that decision wasn’t hard in the end. It was just absolute desperation. Ja, you know, cricket has been pretty good to me for so long, this opportunity has created other avenues for me to grow as an individual, to learn more as a coach, to learn more as a business, working on my foundation, working with other people in need. This happened for a reason.”
The great personal torment dealt Taylor’s zeal for life and cricket a heavy blow, but he grabbed the opportunity to emerge out of it stronger.
“No one plans to get caught up in match-fixing, no one plans to fall to alcoholism and drug addiction,” Taylor says.
“I live with a disease that is too powerful, so I ask God to remove that. I work with others and I work with my programme. That gives me the true form of emotional living and free living. My past has become my greatest asset, going through hard times and desperation. I managed to slowly turn that around and reap the rewards. Not through materialistic things, I’ve reaped the rewards through sobriety, through faith, developing relationships with my family and other people that are absolutely desperate. So that’s very important to me, more important than any sort of materialistic things. At the same time, I’m determined, I’m driven. I’m very passionate about my cricket, offering a service to Zimbabwe cricket, offering a service to my coaching, to offer something of a very high standard and do that to the best of my ability every single day. So I look forward to those challenges, whatever they may be.”
Taylor’s January 2022 suspension ends in July, five months after turning 39. He had initially retired from cricket suddenly in September 2021, apparently aware of the hitherto unknown ICC investigation into his involvement with illegal bookmakers.
Harare-born Taylor, one of the best batsmen in Zimbabwe’s cricketing history, is now keen on representing his country again come July.
“I’ve had some great conversations with the MD of ZC (Zimbabwe Cricket) and the general consensus was for me to return, which I really appreciated, their support, and another chance to redeem myself,” says Taylor.
“If I have to look back now, Zimbabwe cricket has been great to me. It’s been all I’ve ever known, and I would like to make amends to Zimbabwe cricket and come back and redeem myself with performances and service. You know, that’s something I’m really looking forward to. I’d love to give Zimbabwe cricket so much back, which they have given me. So ja, it’s a new lease of life, preparations have well begun. So I look forward to that.”
If Taylor completes a sensational return, it will be his second comeback in his international career. In 2017, he re-joined the Zimbabwe side after agreeing to mutually terminate his contract with English county side Northamptonshire. Once again, news of his return will be received with enthusiasm by a vast majority of Zimbabwe fans, whose calls for a Taylor comeback have had a lot of influence in his decision to play again.
“It’s very humbling,” remarks Taylor. “I’ve taken a breather from social media for the last year, I’ve not been on social media. But I’m hearing whispers that there is an overwhelming amount of support. Some people might think I’m a bit long in the tooth, but there are few people that really want me back, and I appreciate that dearly. You know, I’m 38-years-old. Because of what I’ve learnt in the last three years of sobriety and living in the truest form, sober, happy emotionally, intact, and an absolute new lease of life – it is something I’m taking very seriously, something that I’m putting a lot of work into. I’m achieving fitness levels that I’ve never achieved before (even) as a 28-year-old. I’m slimmer than I’ve ever been, I’m hitting the ball nicely, and I’m training extremely hard. I’m going to leave no stone unturned. I’ve always been pretty good at it when I put my mind onto something I want, I give it 100 percent effort. I did that in recovery, I did that at rehab, to try to be of service to my family, to the community, to the people I work with. So I wake up everyday with absolute gratitude and humility. It’s something that I’m chasing, I’m chasing hard and like I said, I’m taking it extremely seriously. If I believed that I would not be an asset to Zimbabwe cricket, I would not hinder some youngster’s position in the team. I’m training long hours and I’m putting in the work, and I hope to make a big impact. I would like to target a two-year playing comeback, with the support of ZC, they want me to play up to 2027.”
2027 doesn’t sound like a stretch, if Taylor manages to maintain his newly-found fitness levels. But he won’t of course hang around for too long as a player, beyond that. The three months in rehabilitation in Nyanga, fortunately, fostered inner passions of Taylor and he’ll pursue those post-playing days – coaching, fighting drugs, faith and philanthropy.
“The time spent in rehab in Nyanga was very necessary,” Taylor says. “I had reached incomprehensible demoralisation in life. It took an immense amount of courage to surrender to the fact that my life had become unimaginable and I needed to make some serious changes. So I had an incredible 90-day stint in an unbelievable facility that really turned my life around and got my life back on track…happiest I’ve ever been, by far! Truly remarkable experience and something that needed to happen, something that I’m incredibly grateful for. It has helped me to be more productive, mentally and emotionally. I have a little cricket facility at my house and I put thousands of hours into coaching young kids. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed that, as I’ve a passion for coaching. I’d like to see myself being a real asset in the coaching department for Zimbabwe cricket for the long term. The last three years have raced by, you know, I do a lot of support and chats with people suffering with alcoholism and drug addiction.
“I’m very connected in that way as our country does suffer heavily from an epidemic, through drug addiction and alcohol abuse. That’s something that will always keep me grounded, it will keep my service intact. It is incredibly important to carry the message to others that are suffering. So I thoroughly enjoyed this phase in my life, being of service to others. On the coaching front, I’ve gained an immense amount of knowledge through learning the art of how to coach, studying that art, which is so much different to playing. I’ve had a great grounding around some of the top coaches in the world. I’ve always been a sponge to information around them, and other players, world-class players. So I thoroughly enjoy the aspect of trying to find out how every different individual tries to work and their skill level, to try to bring the best out of them. That’s the art of coaching I’m still learning, and growing in that department.”
There is no turning back in Taylor’s bid to completely transform himself, as well as building a solid foundation for his family and the wilder community.
“I’ve really enjoyed the real quality time with my family, giving time to my kids, I spend a lot of time coaching them,” he says.
“That brings me a huge amount of joy, watching them develop and grow. It’s been valuable time, extremely valuable time, which I haven’t taken for granted. I’ve been three years clean, sober, working with spiritual fitness, it’s a powerful way to live. I’m living in a way that’s non-toxic, being of service to family, to people in need, children in need. If you want to advance your cricket acumen, you have to do that sober – changes that were so necessary. So three years living in a clean, sober and productive way is…I wouldn’t want it any other way. I live a simple life, but a productive life. Just appreciating the smaller things in life, things that I took for granted – I don’t do that anymore. I just wake up with a clean slate, stay connected to God and that’s a great way to live. For 36 years I was asleep to God, now I found my faith, I’ve found my spiritual connection.”
Kelly-Anne, Taylor’s wife, has been a rock and pillar of strength since the cricket ban cost him a livelihood.
“I’ve a business with my wife that’s starting to really grow, and she’s running that incredibly well,” says Taylor.
“Being a business owner as a hair stylist, she’s done amazing things. It’s been fascinating, learning the business side of things. Cricket is all I’ve ever known. So trying to diversify a little bit and understand that there is more to life than just cricket, trying to be proactive and grow a business, I’ve learnt a tonne of that. Growing together, we work well together, trying to compliment each other as much as we can in her passion for hair and hair styling. She’s being doing that for 25 years and it’s great to see her run her own business.”
Taylor’s flirtation with the dark side of the global betting boom has been a harrowing experience, but he has lived to tell the tale, and to be able to give others a word of caution.
“You know, rewinding the clock – I’ve sat in many, many anti-corruption meetings, many anti-doping meetings,” says Taylor.
“And I was always that one individual that would say it will never be me. Too proud a person, I’ll never fall to drug addiction, I’ve got my drinking under control, I know what to look for. But truth is that bookmakers are some of the most disguised people on the planet, they are professionals at that, in terms of how cunning they are. There are so many warnings out there from the ICC to tell players what to do. But over time, we need to develop alcoholism and drug addiction (awareness). You know, it clouds your decision-making, it turns you into a person that doesn’t think with clarity, you make rash decisions and, I guess everything happens for a reason. There are many things in life that I’ve not been proud of, but it has brought me to this place in life now that I’m proud of.”
ICC charges against Taylor were clear, yet sometimes misunderstood by some of his own fans. But even as his ban soon comes to an end, Taylor still feels the urge to put the record straight.
“The only thing that I’ve not been in life is a cheat, I can sleep at night with that,” Taylor says. “I’ve been many things, but cheating is something that I would never have contemplated. You know, I reported this issue to the ICC, because cheating was never in my DNA, and never will it be. So, again, I’m at peace with what the ICC sanctioned me for. There is no bitterness, there is no resentment. I needed to get my life in order, and I’m thankful for that. If it’s a lesson to others that are suffering from what I was suffering with, hopefully that benefits them. That’s more important. But, again, I was struggling with mental issues for a long period of time, long period of time, anxiety issues. And that sort of numbed through alcoholism and developed a drug addiction so ja, it doesn’t discriminate. It can come off a lot of people and I see the dissemination in our community, which is happening at an alarming rate, which is terrifying. So we’ve managed to raise significant amount of funds to run a rehabilitation facility, a non-profit making organisation in Nyanga, that’s changing lives, and that’s powerful. The place gave me so much back, that just puts a smile on my face. There is a wonderful person that works out there who is my sponsor to this day, and I owe him everything. There are a lot of close people I know who’ve been through there and come out the other side, turn their life around. It’s truly remarkable to see the changes, and long may it continue. I’ll ty to make sure that’s the case.”
