Former New Zealand captain Ross Taylor is coming out of retirement to represent Samoa, the country of his mother’s birth, in a boost to the Pacific Island nation’s hopes of qualifying for next year’s Twenty20 World Cup.

The 41-year-old, who scored more than 18,000 runs from 450 matches for New Zealand before ending his international career in April 2022, said on Friday he was excited to be able to give back to the game.

Taylor holds a Samoan passport through his mother’s heritage and is eligible to represent a second national team at the end of the three-year cooling-off period since his last match for New Zealand.

“It’s official – I’m proud to announce that I’ll be pulling on the blue and representing Samoa in cricket,” Taylor said in a social media post after being named in the Samoan squad for next month’s Asia-East Asia-Pacific qualifier in Oman.

“This is more than just a return to the game I love — it’s the huge honour to represent my heritage, culture, villages, and family.”

Taylor, who in his prime was one of the most sought-after batters in franchise cricket, said he thought his playing days were over before the chance to play for Samoa came up.

“It’s been a few months in the pipeline, but obviously the team just got announced today,” Taylor told New Zealand Cricket.

“It’s exciting to represent the country of my mother’s birth. I always wanted to give back to the Polynesian community in some sort of way.

“I always thought it would be more in coaching and other avenues. I never thought I’d play. But as the opportunity arose, getting out there and representing — it’s awesome.”

Auckland all-rounder Sean Solia is also part of the Samoa squad led by Caleb Jasmat.

They will be among nine teams in the qualifying tournament in Oman, chasing three spots for next year’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.

A new college basketball video game will arrive soon, albeit from a company different than the one many had expected.

On the same day EA Sports reportedly ended its plans for the first official college basketball game since the company released NCAA Basketball 10 more than a decade ago, 2K Games announced Thursday that it plans to release a game in 2027 that will feature more than 100 programs.

“Yes, it’s true,” the company’s tweet read. “We’re working on a college basketball experience that will feature more than 100 programs from across the country, from powerhouses to Cinderella stories.”

The news came within hours of Friday’s release of NBA 2K26, the latest installment of the popular series, and the company said a few “surprises” related to the announcement will be revealed in early 2026. While EA Sports hasn’t released a college basketball game since 2009, 2K Games last released a college basketball game in 2007.

College basketball fans have collectively complained about the loss of both games for years. Copies of NCAA Basketball 2010 for the PlayStation 3 are listed on eBay for up to $100. The Xbox 360 version of College Hoops 2K8 is available for up to $65 on eBay.

Over the summer, EA Sports generated buzz when it announced that it would produce a new college basketball video game. On Thursday, however, Matt Brown’s extra points newsletter reported that EA Sports had “rescinded” its plans to move forward with a game because multiple schools decided to work with 2K Games.

NBA 2K is the dominant video game series on the market for the pro level, and the company said it intends to have the same influence with its college basketball game.

“We’ve proven the quality of the basketball experience we can deliver for years, and have every intention to bring that same level of quality to college hoops,” the company said via its tweet.