Cricket: Taylor ton wasted as batsmen fail to fire

New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor celebrates his whirlwind century yesterday. Photo / Getty Images

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Ross Taylor scored the fastest recorded century in New Zealand test history, but had to watch as his teammates threw away any chance of pushing on to a position of strength.

Day three now shapes as the most pivotal in the series after Australia cruised to 35-0 in 14 overs before bad light stopped play, 25 overs early, with an overall lead of two.

That Australia was even batting at all was an indictment on a New Zealand card that failed to press home the advantage created by the bowlers on day one.

"We missed a beat," Taylor said. "We were probably one partnership away, but we're still in the game."

Apart from Taylor, only BJ Watling can be satisfied with his day's work, though his dismissal, bowled by Doug Bollinger for 46, was one of many limp or ill-conceived shots.

Taylor was many things, but limp was not one of them. His 138 from 104 balls was a mixture of luck, audacity and sheer talent.

"I've got mixed emotions at the moment, we've still got a test match to win," Taylor said.

"I'm happy to have got 100 but I would have liked to have scored a few more runs to have got us to a bigger lead."

Taylor said he intended to be positive, but not before he got himself in.

"If you'd seen me at the training nets, I couldn't hit the ball off the square," he said.

"I just wanted to be positive in everything I did, whether it be defence, a leave or attack.

"When I'm in that frame of mind, there were probably a few balls I played hard at that I should not have."

Missed on seven when he squirted one between Shane Watson and Ricky Ponting at first and second slips, Taylor decided to take the positive route.

He brought up his 50 in 34 balls, equal with Ian Smith for the second-fastest by a New Zealander in tests, following Tim Southee's 29-ball slog-a-thon in Napier two summers ago.

On 52 he was dropped - a relatively simple chance - when he miscued a slog sweep off Nathan Hauritz, but Mitchell Johnson looked like he picked the ball up late.

Taylor went to lunch on 74 and any thoughts the pasta carbonara might have slowed him down were quickly dispelled when he drove the second ball he faced after the resumption to the cover boundary for four.

He reached 99 in 77 balls, giving him four up his sleeve to record the fastest test century by a New Zealander. On the fourth of those Mitchell Johnson dropped short and Taylor upper-cut it to the third man boundary.

"I had no idea," Taylor said of the impending record. "I just heard what the ground announcer said. It's a bit embarrassing taking it off Dan in his 100th test match.

"I thought Dan had scored his off about 60 balls against Zimbabwe and I didn't know he had the record. I played in one test when Mark, the ground announcer, got the stats wrong so I didn't believe him, to be honest."

If Taylor looked relieved rather than jubilant, put some of that down to the fact he could not help thinking about his last two trips to the 90s, where he was dismissed for 97 and 94 against Pakistan early this summer.

"It wasn't the best 100 I've scored but I was pretty happy to get there."

Taylor was eventually dismissed caught behind off Bollinger, but not before it had been referred to the third umpire. "Virtual Eye has not been very good to me," he joked.

The 81-ball century might have taken top place at New Zealand's table of centurions but it didn't make the top 20 in test cricket, a list headed by Sir Viv Richards 56-ball bruiser against England at the postage stamp that is the Antigua Recreation Ground.

Twenty-five runs came off a Hauritz over, equalling the most expensive over in Australian test cricket.