adminINTERNATIONAL sportsmen are more normally found staying in some of the best hotels. So, former Zimbabwe national cricket captain Brendan Taylor raised a few eyebrows with his choice of bed for the night.
The 29-year-old, who now plays for Nottinghamshire, was discovered curled up on the backseat of a shocked commuter’s car. Taylor climbed into the Chevrolet Matiz in the early hours to sleep off the effects of a heavy night of drinking.
The dazed sportsman was woken up by police after the vehicle’s owner, Michael Whitaker, made the bizarre discovery as he was leaving for work just before 9AM.
Taylor, who had been part of the Nottinghamshire side that had qualified for the Royal London One-Day Cup semi-finals the night before by beating Durham at Trent Bridge, told officers he had been out celebrating — and taken shelter in the unlocked blue hatchback after getting lost in pouring rain.
The embarrassed cricketer apologised to Whitaker and offered to get the car valeted after being found.
He was given help getting home after the police decided no offence had been committed.
The 45-year-old business development manager and father-of-two, said: “I had to do a double-take when I opened the door. I didn’t know what to do. Someone I didn’t know had fallen asleep in our car.”
Whitaker called the police before hiding around the corner to await their arrival.
“An officer tried to wake him up and when he came round, he was dazed,” he said.
“It was the most bizarre situation I think I’ve ever been in. Neither myself, the police or Brendan knew what to do. I don’t think he knew where he was but he was very apologetic and it quickly became clear that it was very innocent.
“Realising who it was made it even funnier because how often do you find an international cricket star asleep in your car? We just see the funny side of this now. It was one of the best excuses to be late for work ever.”
The car, which Whitaker said was unlocked “on this one rare occasion”, was not damaged during the player’s stay and officers helped him to his home nearby.
After the incident, he tweeted the sports star: ‘Brendan, good to meet you on quayside close this morning. No hard feelings :-).’
A spokesman for Nottinghamshire Police said:
“We attended the scene but concluded that no offence had been committed. The man in the car was extremely apologetic and even offered to get the car valeted.”
A spokesman for the cricket club did not wish to comment on the incident.
Taylor, a batsman and part-time wicketkeeper, who played in 23 Test matches and 167 one-day internationals for Zimbabwe, also declined to comment.
News of Taylor’s unusual choice of bed for the night quickly spread on social media.
Cricket fan Eddie Munsta posted on Twitter: “Nice result for Brendan Taylor finding an unlocked car to sleep in. I usually end up in the gutter, park bench, tube station doorway.” Lydia Jane said: “Just read the Brendan Taylor thing … B****y hilarious!”
Others branded Taylor their favourite cricketer and their “hero” for his late night antics. — Mail Online
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