Cricket: Taylor seeks improvement

Despite appearances to the contrary, New Zealand cricketer Ross Taylor says there's plenty of room for improvement in his game.

The 25-year-old provided the pivotal hand with a classy 78 off 51 balls to push his team to victory in the second one-day cricket international against Bangladesh today.

It was an innings mixing brute force with clinical placement as he walloped six fours and five sixes before holing out in the deep shortly before New Zealand passed the tourists' 183 for three for the loss of five wickets inside 28 overs.

Taylor's 13th one-day half-century underlined the senior role he has within the New Zealand batting lineup, as he took the game away from Bangladesh by the boldness of his strokeplay.

"I was disappointed I couldn't finish it off at the end," Taylor said after departing with his team just five runs short of their target.

"But I am happy with the way it's been going and hopefully it can continue."

Taylor hit 51 off 52 balls in the first one-dayer, won by New Zealand by 146 runs in Napier last Friday, and has shown a particular liking for the fare provided by the Bangladeshi bowlers.

He said he wanted to take advantage of the small boundaries at University Oval today.

"I've been working on using my feet more to the spinners. I'm still a while away yet. I have a lot more to practice.

"But with the short straight boundaries here it was good to utilise that."

Today's win sealed the three-match series 2-0 for New Zealand with a match to spare, giving them their second successive one-day title after they beat Pakistan 2-1 in Abu Dhabi last November.

Captain Daniel Vettori described today's performance as satisfying.

"I'm pretty pleased. Apart from our death bowling it was another allround performance which met our expectations.

"This is a ground where you need 300 to compete and to restrict them to 180 and have them 40 for six was pretty pleasing."

- NZPA