Ross Taylor, veteran New Zealand batsman ruled out retirement on Friday following the Black Caps’ victory over India in the inaugural World Test Championship, saying he could still contribute to the team.
The 37-year-old hit the winning runs in New Zealand’s triumph, easing the pain of defeats in the past two one-day World Cup deciders. New Zealand thereby clinched their second ICC trophy after a hiatus of 21 years as their first one came in the Champions Trophy in 2000.
Ross Taylor Admits He’s Coming Towards The End Of His Career But Feels He’s Still Got A Few Games Left For New Zealand
Ross Taylor, who has played a key part in developing the Black Caps from also-rans into a genuine cricketing force, acknowledged his advancing years but said he had no immediate plans to quit.
“I’m just looking forward to going home and seeing the family,” he told Newstalk ZB. “Obviously I’m coming towards the end of my career but you don’t want to make decisions based on emotion and things like that. Hopefully, I’ve still got a few games left in me for New Zealand.”
Ross Taylor has previously not ruled out staying on until the 2023 one-day World Cup in the hope of completing unfinished business from 2015 and 2019. He is New Zealand’s leading run-scorer in Tests and one-dayers, demonstrating his worth with vital contributions in the win over India and the Test series victory over England that preceded it.
Ross Taylor Played Down Suggestions From Sir Richard Hadlee That Current NZ Side Is The Best In History
Ross Taylor played down suggestions from legendary New Zealand allrounder Richard Hadlee that the current Black Caps’ side was the best in history.
“I wouldn’t get too carried away. We’ve had some fantastic teams (like) the team of the 1980s,” he said.
“But this current group are proud of what they’ve achieved and hopefully can achieve some special things in the future as well.”
Sir Richard Hadlee, former New Zealand all-rounder said that the Kiwis showed great professionalism against India in the finals of the World Test Championship (WTC).
For New Zealand, Ross Taylor is the only player who has scored more than 18000 runs in international cricket. The Kiwi batsman has scored 18007 total runs in all three formats at an average of 43.28. He accounts for 43 centuries and 93 centuries overall.
The right-handed batsman has played 108 Tests, 233 ODIs, and 103 T20Is so far. In 188 Test innings, the 37-year-old has scored 7517 runs at an average of 45.55. He has hit 19 centuries and 35 half-centuries.