Ross Taylor: Longevity and the milestones that come along the way
In any Sport, with time, new milestones keep getting added, records keep getting broken and bars keep getting raised. After all, milestones and records offer a special kind of yardstick to measure the achievements of an athlete.
On Feb 21, 2020, a new such milestone was added in the ever-growing record books of the great sport named Cricket. The architect of the milestone was none other than New Zealand cricketer Ross Taylor, who became the first player to feature in 100 international games in each of the formats the game being played at present.
Taylor achieved this unique feat when he took the field on the first day of his 100th Test match at his home ground in Wellington, against the visiting Indians, and in front of his cheering family members, friends and his coaches, past and present.
Just around three weeks back, the Kiwi's No. 4 batsman had played his 100th Twenty20 international at Mount Maunganui against the same opponents. He has also featured in 231 One-day international matches helping himself to become the first to score a century of games in each format.
Also see – PSL most wickets
Tribute to Longevity
The feat might sound surprising for many as Kiwi players are not known for this kind of longevity. As a matter of fact, Taylor is just the fourth player in the History of NZ cricket to feature in the 100 Test club after Stephen Fleming, Daniel Vettori and Brendon McCullum.
After his international debut way back in 2006, Taylor didn't take much time in cementing his place as one of the batting mainstays for NZ. If the high level of consistency in scoring runs enabled him to make his place permanent in NZ batting order, his endurance to play the game at the highest level has brought him so far to achieve this unique feat.
On top of batting charts
Taylor, at present, is the leading run-scorer for his country in both Tests and ODIs. After stamping his authority in ODIs a few years ago, playing in his 99th test against Australia in Sydney, he surpassed Stephen Fleming's tally of 7172 runs as well to become the highest run-getter for his country in Tests as well.
In his previous 99 tests, the Kiwi run machine has accumulated 7174 runs with a healthy average of just above 46 with the help of 19 centuries and 33 half-centuries. En-route he fulfilled the wish of his departed mentor, Martin Crowe by crossing his tally of 17 tons.
Taylor's numbers are more commendable in the 50-over format. In 215 innings, he has amassed a staggering 8570 runs with an impressive average of 48.69. He has 21 centuries to his name which is the most by a Black Caps player in ODIs.
Though he has been on and off in the shortest format, the veteran of 100 games has scored 1909 runs with an average of 26 and a good strike rate of 122. For a middle-order batsman whose batting order is not fixed in the shortest format, it is quite an achievement.
Setting new goals
In a fortnight or so, Taylor will be 36, and at this age, the questions on retirement are bound to surface. As he himself had confessed, earlier he had set himself the goal of playing in World Cup 2019. Though the goal has been achieved, he is not in a mood to hang-up his boots and is even considering setting new goals for himself.
going by his recent form, setting new goals make sense. In the recently concluded limited over series against India, the visitors found Taylor a tough nut to crack as he emerged the second-highest run-scorer for his team in both the formats.
Taylor was simply spectacular in ODIs. In the first clash, chasing the mammoth total of 347, he minced the Indian bowlers en route to scoring 109 of just 84 balls in order to secure a victory with 11 balls to spare.
In the second match, Taylor scored a measured 73 and took his team to a decent total of 273, which was later successfully defended by his teammates. In the end, Kiwis swept the series 3-0 and for all his exploits in the series, the veteran batsman received his first "Player of the Series" award.
Having created a new milestone, it is up to Ross Taylor on what new goals he would be setting for himself. However, he has already ensured his name is listed among the legends, not only among his countrymen but in cricket history as well!