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‘‘Taylor’s test cricket masterpiece was made in the most trying of circumstances’’ Our first XI pick from a B

Andrew Voerman runs through the Black Caps star’s 196 test innings to pick his batting highlights.

Black Caps great Ross Taylor retired from test cricket this week after taking the final wicket in their win over Bangladesh at Hagley Oval in Christchurch.

It was an ironic ending, as he was more known for his batting during his 16-year test career, where he played 112 matches, the equal-most of any New Zealander.

All told, he batted 196 innings, scoring 19 centuries and 35 halfcenturies. What follows, in chronological order, are the best 11.

120 v England in Hamilton in 2008

Taylor’s first test century set the Black Caps up for a memorable win over England at Seddon Park in Hamilton. He shared in large partnerships with Brendon McCullum (51) and Daniel Vettori (88) as he made 120, and the Black Caps posted 470. With a strike rate of 51.06, it wound up being one of his slowest test hundreds, but it was an important one, as they went on to win by 189 runs.

154 v England in Manchester in 2008

Taylor was more commanding two months later, when the Black Caps visited England for the return series. Stephen Fleming had retired at the end of the home matches, leaving the side light on batting experience, but Taylor showed why he was highly rated as he made an unbeaten 154 in a total of 381. England wound up chasing down 294 to win the match, but

Taylor’s innings at Old Trafford in Manchester, which included five sixes, left quite the mark.

138 v Australia in Hamilton in 2010

Another case of Taylor at his attacking best in what ultimately turned out to be a doomed effort. His 138 off 104 balls at Seddon Park in Hamilton gave the Black Caps more than half their firstinnings total of 264, which was 33 more than Australia had managed. A chance for a rare trans-Tasman win was in their grasp, but they let it slip as Australia posted 511-8 in their second innings and got home in relative comfort from there.

56 v Australia in Hobart in 2011

Taylor was captain of the Black Caps when they went to Australia the following year and played an important role as they secured their first trans-Tasman test win in 18 years at Bellerive Oval in Hobart. The Black Caps took a 14-run first-innings lead despite only making 150 in their first innings, but they didn’t fare much better in their second as they looked to set their hosts a challenging total. Taylor’s 56 off 169 finished up being the slowest innings of his career where he made more than 23, but every run was crucial as they ended up winning by just seven.

142 v Sri Lanka in Colombo in 2012 74 v Sri Lanka in Colombo in 2012

Taylor’s test cricket masterpiece was made in the most trying of circumstances. Ahead of the second test in Sri Lanka in 2012 at P Sara Oval in Colombo, he was told he was no longer going to be captain once he returned home. A crushing blow if there ever was one, but he responded by playing what was at that point his longest test innings, making 142 off 306 balls as the Black Caps made 412 in their first innings. He changed tack in the second innings, making 74 off 95 in a total of 194-5 that set his side up for a 167-run win.

217* v West Indies in Dunedin in 2013

After losing the captaincy, Taylor started 2013 watching from his couch as the Black Caps were humiliated on tour in South Africa. He returned for home-and-away series against England, but didn’t make much of an impact. Then came the home summer that started at the end of 2013, where he began with his innings of 217no at University of Otago Oval in Dunedin, at that stage his highest test score, then made 16no, 129, 131 and 2no, for a series total of 495 runs at an average of 247.5. Taylor was back to his best and a golden era for the Black Caps was just getting started.

290 v Australia in Perth in 2015

Taylor’s 290 at the Waca in Perth in 2015 remains the highest test score by a visiting batsman in Australia. The Black Caps went across the Tasman with high hopes, but were well-beaten in Brisbane, then conceded 559-9 in the first innings in Perth. Taylor and Kane Williamson, who made 166, stepped up, not for the first time and not for the last, as the Black Caps made 624 and secured a draw.

102* v Pakistan in Hamilton in 2016

In late 2016, serious questions were being asked about Taylor’s test form for the first time. Since making 290 in Perth, his only scores above 36 had come against lowly Zimbabwe, and he was encumbered by a growth in

his left eye, which was

causing problems to the point where surgery had been scheduled. First, he had a test match to play, where he made an unbeaten 102 in the second innings to set up a win that was secured late on the final day.

105* v England in Hamilton in 2019

Taylor’s last test century came seven series before he called it a day, in a draw with England at Seddon Park in Hamilton, which secured New Zealand’s first series win against England in 20 years. Batting alongside Williamson, who made 104, Taylor made 105 as the Black Caps batted their way to safety in a rain-affected match.

47* v India in Southampton in 2021

In the last two years of his test career, Taylor only showed the odd glimpse of form, but he was in the middle for the biggest moment in New Zealand test cricket history – the win over India in the inaugural World Test Championship final at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton in June. India were still in the hunt when Taylor arrived at the crease with the Black Caps 44-2 chasing 139 to win, but he combined with Williamson to make a composed 47no, scoring the winning runs with a whip to the square leg boundary.

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