Ross Taylor and his family following his final test match earlier in the year. Photo / Getty
Ross Taylor and his family following his final test match earlier in the year. Photo / Getty
Ross Taylor might miss the chance to replicate his wicket-taking test farewell today - but there's bound to be plenty of bowling in his future.
New Zealand's highest runscorer across all formats, Taylor will walk away from international cricket after the third ODI against the Netherlands at Seddon Park.
Unlikehis final time wearing the whites, when Taylor completed a series-levelling win over Bangladesh from the bowling crease, the 38-year-old reckoned captain Tom Latham wouldn't be chucking him the ball today.
"I don't think he's that keen," Taylor said with a smile. "He wasn't that keen back then so I don't think he's going to change his mind.
"Unless there's bad light - which I don't think will happen in a day-night game."
But Taylor believes that may be for the best. After all, with eight-year-old son Jonty having recently expressed more of an interest in his dad's job, Taylor has the next stage of his career to consider.
"My son is just starting to get into cricket now," he said. "I guess I need to save my shoulder because I think I'm going to have to throw to him for the next few years and get a bit of payback for what my dad had to do for me."
Whatever his father did during his formative years in the Manawatū, it proved rather effective. In 449 matches for his country, Luteru Ross Poutoa Lote Taylor scored 18,185 runs and recorded 40 centuries - along with collecting three wickets.
Taylor said his wicket-taking test departure was a 'fairy tale'. Photo / Getty
Taylor has been especially prolific in the one-day arena, his 21 tons the most by a Kiwi. But he hopes Martin Guptill - second on the list with 16 - can surpass that mark before Kane Williamson - fourth with 13 - does likewise.
"Martin Crowe always said that records are there to be broken. So if it's Gup who can beat it and then Kane can beat Gup, I think that bodes well for the next generation.
"And hopefully there's some young kids out there who can maybe chase Kane's record down in the years to come."
Taylor's dream is for those kids to have been inspired into cricket by the Black Caps' exceptional recent run, the way he was by the New Zealand side who reached the 1992 World Cup semifinals at home.
While his own white-ball feats are similarly tinged with near misses, hitting the winning runs in last year's World Test Championship final stands alone when listing his career highlights.
"Two World Cup finals - playing in front of 90,000 at the G, coming so close in 2019 at Lord's," Taylor said. "To get another opportunity to win a world championship, I never thought that was possible, and for it to be in the purest form of test cricket is something I'll never forget.
"I think we might as well make the most of it and expose it to as many young cricketers, and who's not to say that the young kid who might not have played cricket was motivated and inspired by the Mace."
That Mace merely capped what has long been clear: the Black Caps are in a far better place than when Taylor first wore the silver fern, in the fourth ODI against the West Indies at McLean Park in March 2006.
"I'm proud that, when I'm moving on, the team's in a fantastic place," he said. "We've got some great young cricketers coming through and I see this team getting better and better over the coming years, and I look forward to watching from afar at their growth."
Taylor's signature celebration is a tribute to daughter Mackenzie. Photo / Getty
Taylor was run out for 15 in that debut at Napier - an amusing harbinger of many dismissals to follow - and if recent form was any guide a similar score might bookend his career at Seddon Park today.
Although he would understandably prefer to make a greater contribution on his adopted home park, Taylor has spent the build-up to his final bow focusing on much more than his performance with the bat.
"It has felt different," he said. "All you can do is try to make a contribution and enjoy everything for the last time. Last press conference, last warm up - all those little things.
"But I'm not trying to dwell on it or think about it too much - just enjoy the occasion and hopefully make a contribution of some sort."
Ideally, that contribution would come in the form of ODI century No 22, which would be a fitting goodbye in line with the "fairy tale" of his test departure.
It would also give him one last chance to unleash a pukana, his tongue-out tribute to daughter Mackenzie, though Taylor joked his form was such that he might have to lower the bar for that particular celebration.
"I haven't got a 50 for a while," he said. "So it might have to be for 50."
