SYDNEY, OCT 17: Australian cricket greats from Dennis Lillee to the Chappell brothers were telling Mark Taylor that his career was over and it was time to tuck the bat under his arm and walk. Just 16 months ago only Taylor didn't think he was a dead man. He went 20 straight innings without a half century and was in the worst slump of any Australian captain in history.``His bat consisted entirely of edges and there was glue upon the soles of his boots. He didn't look capable of scoring 34, let alone 334,'' wrote Cricket columnist Peter Roebuck after Taylor joined Sir Donald Bradman as the highest scoring Australian in the second Test against Pakistan.Today, Taylor decided against batting on to pass Bradman, his declaration at 599 for four coming as an anti-climax at home where news bulletins all day tipped he would chase runs for another 40 minutes. His decision also cost him a chance to beat Brian Lara's world record 375 and left Taylor and Bradman as equal seventh on the all-time highest Test scorelist.``The record doesn't mean anything. I'd prefer to win this game, that's what I'm here for,''said Taylor. The Australian team held a vote Friday night and decided that Taylor should bat on. He ignored it. The innings itself, and a declaration which put the team cause ahead of his own record hopes, was inspiring stuff from a man who brings little artistry but an extraordinary work ethic and self-belief to the game.``I give him absolutely full marks for this innings,'' said Bill Brown, an Australia opener during Bradman's era. ``I've always liked his style of play and liked the man himself, I think he's a delightful fellow.''Of course, a good character has never been enough in sport where results are paramount. Taylor's 18-month personal crisis, through 1996 and into 1997, was enough to have him sacked had he been a mere player instead of the captain of the world's best side.But while Greg and Ian Chappell, the loudest of many detractors, were demanding he stand aside, Taylor infuriated themwith his determination to stay.In a reversal of fortunes, Taylor thrived, scoring 129 in the Edgbaston first Test, but the team lost. Fortune shifted again: Taylor slipped back into the doldrums and Australia won the series. ``My future is going to be based around how I play,'' Taylor admitted on his return from the Ashes Tour. ``My captaincy certainly hasn't fallen away in the last year. It's going to be up to me to make some runs.''Taylor scored another fine century earlier this year against India but lost the series. Now, after two years of failing as the team soared and soaring on the rare occasions the team failed, Taylor has a chance to lead the team to the summit with his bat rather than his captaincy brain.He led the team to its first victory in Pakistan for 39 years during the first Test and this innings has placed the team on the verge of a series win on the subcontinent, Taylor's last major goal. His old fans were still with him today. Taylor wasn't the only one with blind faith after all.
