KEY POINTS:
Ross Taylor conquered two obstacles yesterday - one numerical, the other in his mind.
His outstanding 120 anchored New Zealand's impressive total of 470 and helped set out their stall for the remainder of the first test.
It was his first test century in his fifth innings - and his fourth at first-class level - but just as importantly he learned what concentration, care and attention to detail can bring.
Taylor's reputation has long been as a dasher; gifted but prone to rashness. There was no sign of that as he built on his 54 not out overnight. He didn't give a chance, and rarely played a false shot in his 235-ball innings, which contained 18 fours.
"It was the most controlled I've ever felt in an innings," he admitted last night. "I struggled for a couple of overs after lunch [by which time he'd reached his century] but then clicked back into full concentration."
His emotions upon pulling Steve Harmison to the square-leg fence to reach 100 were "extremely happy in the first instance and then relief".
Unsurprisingly, Taylor had felt a jingle of nerves as he closed in on his hundred. "On 98 a couple of good shots went straight to fielders and I started wondering where the next two runs were going to come from."
He then set himself on a course of action against Harmison, England's fastest bowler, even though the Durham paceman barely pushed the radar above an average 132kph throughout New Zealand's innings.
"When they brought the square-leg fielder up, I was always going to take him on if he pitched short," Taylor said.
And he did, the old aggressive instincts serving Taylor well . As the ball rolled towards the boundary he punched his bat in the air in delight. As a 24th birthday present, which comes up tomorrow, it's tough to top.
It is only one innings - although it lifted Taylor's test average to 32.8 - and not all test pitches will be as friendly as Seddon Park, but it bodes well for a young man who has discovered the key to prospering at the highest level. "I have broken a new barrier and am confident I can continue to build from here," he added.
Taylor and Vettori's performances provided further evidence that a quality middle-lower order is taking root in the New Zealand side. Taylor can help form a classy run of batting talent through Nos 5, 6, 7 and 8, with Jacob Oram, Brendon McCullum and Daniel Vettori.
Oram's test average is 38.61, second only to Stephen Fleming in the current test XI, and he is in his 26th international.
McCullum, playing his 30th test, is averaging 30.79, with two hundreds and seven fifties.
Vettori's 88 yesterday took him to 27.04 in his 78th match. The captain's growth as a test allrounder of some substance continues. Going back to New Zealand's tour to South Africa in 2006, Vettori has hit 598 runs at a fine average of 46.
