Wellington: Former New Zealand batting great Ross Taylor will return to competitive cricket, joining Samoa for the Twenty20 World Cup qualifying tournament in Oman next month.

Taylor, who retired from international cricket in 2022, is New Zealand’s most-capped player with 112 Tests, 236 ODIs and 102 T20Is. He remains second on the country’s all-time Test runs list with 7,683, and also second in Test centuries (19), both behind Kane Williamson.

The 41-year-old will represent Samoa, the country of his mother’s birth, playing under his chiefly title, Leaupepe Luteru Ross Poutoa Lote Taylor.

Taylor agreed to the comeback after being approached by a friend and former Black Cap, Tarun Nethula. Samoa will face Papua New Guinea in a decisive qualifier for a place at next year’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.

“It’s quite a powerful thing when players are asking you to come out of retirement and help them,” Taylor told Stuff. “I’m no spring chicken, but I’m sure I’m still fit enough to run around the boundary.”

With inputs from AP