Ousted New Zealand cricket captain Ross Taylor says his loss of the job hasn't come as a surprise and still wants to be part of the Black Caps in future.
New Zealand Cricket on Friday announced that Brendan McCullum will lead the side on their upcoming tour of South Africa after Taylor rejected a proposal by coach Mike Hesson to split the captaincy, with Taylor leading the test side and McCullum the one-day and Twenty20 teams.
In a statement on Friday, Taylor said he would take a break to refresh himself so he can return to the international game when the time is right.
Taylor said Hesson told him before the first test against Sri Lanka in November that he had concerns about his captaincy and didn't want him to lead the side after the tour.
The batsman described the past couple of weeks as "distressing and challenging", but is determined to contribute to the national side in the future and wished McCullum success as captain.
He said he met with New Zealand Cricket on Thursday and accepted its apology for the way in which matters have been handled.
Ross Taylor was appointed captain 16 months ago, but his future was in jeopardy after Hesson, an avowed supporter of McCullum, became coach a few months ago.
Hesson is adamant he wanted Taylor to stay on as test captain and told a news conference on Friday that he didn't want him out of the job altogether.
"I certainly regret if Ross Taylor felt that it was in regards to captaincy at all levels. The Black Caps will be worse off without Ross Taylor, without doubt.
"Ross Taylor is a superb batsman, he's our most consistent player. But I think it's very important to separate the batsman and captaincy issue."
New Zealand Cricket chief executive David White told media on Friday that Taylor would definitely return to the side for England's tour of New Zealand in 2013.
White said he regrets the way the matter has been handled, but has full confidence in Hesson and the direction he is taking the side.
The national director of cricket, John Buchanan, this year endorsed Ross Taylor's captaincy.
