“In last few months it appears to have deteriorated a little bit”
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Veteran New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor may be forced to skip the second Test against Pakistan in Hamilton due to an eye issue.
Taylor underwent an eye examination, which revealed a growth in his left eye, and he will now visit a specialist on Monday in order to determine the next course of action and whether he can feature in the final Test.
The 32-year-old has been in dismal form as of late as hasn’t managed to score more than 44 runs in any of his past 15 (10 test and five ODI) innings. New Zealand head coach Mike Hesson has attributed this to Taylor’s recurring eye problem.
The growth in Taylor’s left eye was also the reason why he did not bat at no. 4 in the second innings of New Zealand’s eight-wicket win in the first Test in Christchurch.
“Ross had a further eye test on the first day of the game and it certainly showed that he needs to see a specialist,” Hesson said. “Twelve months ago he had his annual check-up, got some eye drops and scored 290 in next game.
“In last few months it appears to have deteriorated a little bit. We’ll get some further info from the specialist.
“We all need regular check-ups, and about six months ago, Ross had no issues at all. It might have come on a little bit quicker than we would like. Ross was keen to get it seen to. I think it may have come on a little bit quicker than we’d like, but I’m not an optometrist, that’s for the specialists to decide.”
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson added that Taylor had been “having a little bit of trouble with his eyes”, but insisted that the Lower Hutt native was taking all the necessary steps to sort out the issue.
“Ross is at the moment having a little bit of trouble with his eyes so he’s looking after those at the current point and will take all the necessary steps to make them better,” Williamson said. “At this stage we are not 100% sure what it is. There’s a growth that’s come across a little bit. It’s been fine for long time, and been monitored for long time. It is a gradual thing as opposed to something that’s very sudden.”