Cricket: It's Taylor's time to tame Aussies

New Zealand vice captain Ross Taylor views playing the Australians as the supreme challenge. 'Everyone knows it's a big game.' Photo / Getty Images

Ross Taylor turns 26 on March 8.

He is New Zealand's senior batsman and was recently made vice-captain.

His star is on the rise. Australia are here. This is his time to step forward.

Taylor makes it clear he views the Aussies as the supreme challenge. Not to decry the other opponents on the international circuit, you understand, but you feel he believes this is the biggie.

"I don't think anyone has to psych us up. You're playing Australia and the transtasman rivalry has been there for years," he said yesterday. "Everyone knows it's a big game, but I don't think playing us down as underdogs or pumping us up is going to affect the boys at all. They've just got to get themselves up and take them on."

Taylor's ability has never been in dispute since he first cracked the national side in March 2006. In his third test a couple of years later, he hit a fine 110 against England in Hamilton, a key part of a memorable victory.

There was a sizzling 154 not out against the English a few months later, and back-to-back centuries against India last summer.

But there should have been more. There were two nineties against Pakistan before Christmas. Even in the one-off test against Bangladesh at Hamilton last week, Taylor made 40 and 51. Both innings had "century" written all over them, so easy did it all seem. But he got himself out both times.

Frustrating? You bet.

"You don't mean to get out. You try and eliminate the risks as much as possible.

"But definitely I chucked away two hundreds. At the same time I knew where I went wrong and I've been addressing that.

"If I was to say I'd rather score 100 against someone, I'd love it to be Australia."

Taylor is averaging 42.31 in 23 tests; 35.25 in 76 ODIs. That number goes up to 38.25 from 17 games against Australia.

In his past five tests, Taylor has hit 500 runs at an average of 55.

So his form is strong?

"I wouldn't say I'm in the best form of my life. I think I'm hitting the ball okay. There's still room for improvement."

Recently Taylor has been working with one of New Zealand's greats, Martin Crowe. Technical or mental stuff? A bit of both, it seems.

"You don't often feel the same every time you go out to bat. If you feel 80 per cent you've still got to do your job and get runs.

"It's about having a technique that I'm comfortable with and that you go to every time.

"More often than not, if you're in your setup and feel the same each day you're going to have better success.

"With 'Hogan' probably the mental side is the biggest learning curve I've got from him."

Then there's the vice-captaincy issue. Taylor is seen as heir apparent to Dan Vettori, yet he hasn't had a pile of leadership experience in his career.

Taylor leans to the view that you can lead by performance, rather than just be a senior ear for players to turn to.

"You've still got to go out and do your job," he said. "That is scoring runs and leading from the front in that regard.

"[Yes,] passing on advice to the players when necessary. But at the end of the day, players have still got to make up their own minds," said Taylor.

"If I can score runs and bring people with me I think that's the best way of leading."

Batting often seems to come too easily to Taylor.

He possesses a wide range of strokes, can score at a rapid rate, but there are times when it seems patience isn't his strongest suit.

"I guess against Pakistan and Bangladesh we had some good success, but we will be judged on how we play against Australia here."

Taylor could have been talking of himself.

AUSTRALIA'S SCHEDULE IN NEW ZEALAND

Tonight: First Twenty20 international, Wellington, 7pm
Sunday: Second Twenty20 international, Christchurch, 6pm
Wednesday: First ODI, Napier, 2pm
March 6: Second ODI, Eden Park, noon
March 9: Third ODI, Hamilton, 2pm
March 11: Fourth ODI, Eden Park, 2pm
March 13: Fifth ODI, Wellington, 2pm
March 19-23: First test, Wellington
March 27-31: Second test, Hamilton