Ross Taylor says he experienced racism in New Zealand cricket

Ross TaylorGetty Images

Ross Taylor is New Zealand's most prolific batter in Tests and one-day internationals

Former batter Ross Taylor says he experienced racism during his career in New Zealand cricket.

Taylor, 38, who has Samoan heritage and retired in April, has outlined his experiences in a new book.

The former Black Caps captain said team-mates had to "put up" with comments about their ethnicity often passed off as "dressing-room banter."

New Zealand Cricket said it was "deeply concerned he's been exposed to this type of behaviour".

Taylor's claims come after a number of racism scandals in English and Scottish cricket.

Last year former Yorkshire player Azeem Rafiq told MPs that English cricket was "institutionally" racist, while last month an independent review into allegations of racism in Scottish cricket found the governance and leadership of the sport to be institutionally racist.

"Cricket in New Zealand is a pretty white sport. For much of my career I've been an anomaly, a brown face in a vanilla line-up," wrote Taylor in an extract from Ross Taylor: Black & White, published in the New Zealand Herald.

"That has its challenges, many of which aren't readily apparent to your team-mates or the cricketing public."

Taylor retired after a 16-year career with 7,683 runs in the longest format and 8,607 in one-day internationals - both New Zealand records.

He says the Polynesian community is "dramatically under-represented in the game" and he is sometimes mistaken for being "Maori or Indian".

Taylor added: "In many ways, dressing-room banter is the barometer. A team-mate used to tell me, 'You're half a good guy, Ross, but which half is good? You don't know what I'm referring to.' I was pretty sure I did.

"Other players also had to put up with comments that dwelt on their ethnicity. In all probability, a Pakeha (white New Zealander) listening to those sorts of comments would think, 'Oh, that's OK, it's just a bit of banter.'

"But he's hearing it as white person and it's not directed at people like him. So, there's no pushback; no one corrects them. Then the onus falls on the targets. You wonder if you should pull them up but worry that you'll create a bigger problem or be accused of playing the race card by inflating harmless banter into racism. It's easier to develop a thick skin and let it slide, but is that the right thing to do?"

New Zealand Cricket (NZC) says it has "reached out to Ross to discuss some of the comments in his book, both to better understand the details of them, and to offer support. These discussions are ongoing."

It added: "Ross currently sits on an NZC working group seeking to improve the game's engagement with Pasifika communities, and his input is greatly valued.

"We consider him an important part of our cricket family and are deeply concerned he's been exposed to this type of behaviour."

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