Herbie Taylor

Herbert Wilfred Taylor MC (5 May 1889 – 8 February 1973) was a South African cricketer who played 42 Test matches for his country including 18 as captain of the side. Specifically a batsman, he was an expert on the matting pitches which were prevalent in South Africa at the time and scored six of his seven centuries at home. His batting was also noted for quick footwork and exceptional 'backplay'. He became the first South African to pass 2,500 Test runs and was selected one of Wisden's Cricketers of the Year in 1925. In domestic cricket, he played for Natal, Transvaal and Western Province.

Taylor's greatest achievement is generally reckoned to be scoring 508 runs at an average of 50.80 in the 1913–14 Test series against England, in spite of English bowler Sydney Barnes taking a record 49 wickets in the series at 10.93. The cricket historian H.S. Altham wrote: "The English cricketers were unanimous that finer batting than his against Barnes at his best they never hoped to see." Neville Cardus noted it was "perhaps the most skilful of all Test performances by a batsman." It also led Cardus to count Taylor as "one of the six greatest batsmen of the post-Grace period".

Born in Durban, Taylor attended Michaelhouse School from 1903 to 1907, during which period he was coached by Sussex bowler George Cox. Taylor made his first-class debut for Natal in January 1910 against the touring MCC team, he opened the batting in both innings, scoring 55 and 30. After finishing the 1910/11 season as second highest run scorer in the Currie Cup, he was selected for South Africa's touring party to England in 1912.

In the final warm-up match before the Triangular Tournament began, Taylor scored 83 in an innings victory over Worcestershire. He shared in a 146-run opening partnership with Gerald Hartigan after the home side had been dismissed for 50. In the first match of the tournament between South Africa and Australia at Old Trafford, Taylor was selected to make his Test debut. Opening South Africa's innings, in response to Australia's total of 448, Taylor was dismissed for a duck. South Africa followed on and were dismissed for 98 to lose by an innings, Taylor top-scored in the second innings with 21, having moved down the order. In the next two Tests against England he struggled for runs scoring 39 in four innings. In South Africa's second Test against Australia at Lord's he made his maiden half-century, batting at number six he top scored with 93 in a first innings total of 263. From 74/5 he put on a 97-run stand with Louis Stricker "in little more than an hour". Wisden noting that Taylor's "driving was splendid". In South Africa's two remaining fixtures he scored 31 runs, to finish with a series aggregate of 194 at an average of 19.40. South Africa had a poor series, losing five of their six Tests, drawing the other which was rain affected. Taylor finished the whole tour with 1340 runs, a figure only bettered by Dave Nourse.

The Wisden end of series report stated: "Excellent in style and a powerful driver, he is likely to make a great mark before he is much older". In 1912/13 Taylor captained Natal as they won the Currie Cup. He started his captaincy career with a match against Transvaal, in the second innings of which he scored an unbeaten 250 in 225 minutes, out of a score of 384/5 declared. Only one other player passed fifty in the match. This score remained the highest of his first-class career.

England (Marylebone Cricket Club) toured South Africa in 1913/14, the tourists final game before the Tests began was against Natal at Pietermaritzburg. Taylor carried his bat in the first innings, scoring 83 in a total of 124, in the second he scored 42 not out as the match was drawn. He carried this form into the first Test at Durban, his first match as captain of South Africa. Having won the toss and chosen to bat first he made a maiden Test century, scoring 109 in about three hours and 20 minutes. Wisden described the innings as a "superb display of batting" commenting that he played "[Sydney] Barnes with perfect confidence". However Taylor got little support from his teammates and South Africa were dismissed for 182. England won the Test by an innings after the hosts had managed just 111 in the second innings, Taylor scored eight. England also won the second Test at Johannesburg by an innings, Sydney Barnes taking record Test match figures of 17/159, Taylor fell to him twice for scores of 29 and 40.

Taylor took his Test best bowling figures in the third Test which was again staged in Johannesburg, in England's first innings he took three wickets for 15 runs (3/15) from 10 overs. In dismissing Wilfred Rhodes leg before wicket he claimed his maiden Test wicket, his other two wickets were that of Frank Woolley and Morice Bird. Taylor opened the bowling in the second innings and, although expensive, claimed the wicket of Rhodes again. In terms of batting Taylor scored 14 and 70, the latter innings came in a 153-run opening stand with Billy Zulch. There was a six-week gap between the third and fourth Tests, in which period the MCC played seven tour matches. The last of these was against Natal, and just like in the earlier tour fixture Taylor dominated the scoring for the hosts. In a low scoring match he scored 91 (out of a team total of 153) and 100 (out of 216/6), as Natal won by 4 wickets. Only one other batsman in the match passed fifty.

In the fourth Test at Durban South Africa avoided defeat despite Sydney Barnes excellent form continuing, he claimed 14 more wickets to take his series tally to 49. Taylor was dismissed by him in both innings, scoring 16 in the first and 93 in the second, an innings Wisden described as "more cautious than usual". In that second innings he shared a 69-run partnership with his older brother Dan who was making his Test debut. In the fifth and final Test of the series at Port Elizabeth Taylor scored 42 and 87 as South Africa lost by ten wickets. In the second innings he shared a century stand with Billy Zulch for the second time in the series, this time they put on 129. Despite the 4–0 defeat Taylor finished the series as the leading run scorer on either side with 508 runs in 10 innings, his aggregate was 227 ahead of the next best South African, Philip Hands. This performance came while facing Barnes who finished the series with a Test record 49 wickets at 10.93. The cricket historian H. S. Altham wrote: "The English cricketers were unanimous that finer batting than his against Barnes at his best they never hoped to see". Neville Cardus wrote in the 1955 Wisden: