Picture by Ben Hoskins/Getty Images. James Taylor poses with the County Championship trophy in 2024.
Born in Stoke-on-Trent and a product of the Derbyshire system, Taylor has spent the last seven seasons with powerhouses Surrey.
A former England Under 19s quick, Taylor, aged 25, has signed on at Headingley – for the 2026 season and beyond – not long after taking a 10-wicket match haul whilst on loan at Kent in early May.
Taylor is yet to play 40 senior matches across the formats, a product of being a part of a well-stocked bowling unit down at The Kia Oval.
He’s the young brother of current Worcestershire seamer Tom and made his debuts in first-class and List A cricket for Derbyshire, where he came through their Academy.
Picture by Ben Hoskins/Getty Images. Yorkshire have signed James Taylor from Surrey.
He signed for Surrey ahead of 2020, the shortened Covid summer and has had to be patient for his opportunities since then.
The right-armer played three Championship matches in 2022 and the same again in 2024, with Surrey winning the Division One title in both of those summers. He contributed 11 wickets in that time.
He played twice for the England Under 19s against India and Bangladesh on home soil during the 2019 summer under the captaincy of George Hill. Fin Bean also played in the same eleven.
In the match against India at New Road, current India Test star Yashasvi Jaiswal played for the visitors.
Picture by Alex Davidson/Getty Images. James Taylor celebrates a wicket for Surrey in last season’s Metro Bank One-Day Cup.
He is a bowler with a strong and rhythmical action.
Whilst on loan with Kent during the opening months of the summer, he returned figures of 6-52 and 4-54 in a two-wicket win over Gloucestershire at Bristol.
He once recorded figures of 6-4 whilst playing club cricket for Barlaston in the North Staffordshire South Cheshire League.
