Surgery leaves Black Caps batsman Ross Taylor sidelined for two months | Stuff.co.nz
His team-mates found it hilarious. Ross Taylor, meanwhile, was in agony and a few hours later went under the knife in Harare after every batsman's worst nightmare.
The Black Caps batsman can chuckle about it now as he makes a gradual recovery from testicular surgery that will sideline him from cricket for two months. October 15 is his targeted return date, for Central Districts in the opening round of the Plunket Shield which makes its earliest start, before the big three-test series in Australia in November.
This one's not for the squeamish, and requires careful re-telling. "Feel free to laugh, because everyone else has," Taylor says, back home with wife Victoria and two young children in Hamilton.
It all happened in the nets before the third one-day international against Zimbabwe this month, facing a gentle legspinner from Ish Sodhi. Apparently the plastic protector wasn't sitting quite right, and the pain was instant. Look away now.
"I went to sweep Ish and just missed, and it hit me in the sore area. It was pretty sore and the boys were all laughing in the nets as I was rolling around. I would have done the same. I batted on for 5-6 balls and hit it allright but it was just too painful," Taylor said.
A doctor at the ground recommended Taylor go to hospital. They visited two, and he was advised to go under the knife. Far from home it was a scary thought, but surgery went well. Let's just say there were a lot of stitches involved.
"When I showed my wife the photos she was only aware of NZ Cricket's release which said "minor operation". She was a bit shocked. A part of me wanted to release the photos but I thought better of it," Taylor laughed.
