Ross Taylor set to retire after decade and a half with the black caps

(Cricket news) Ross Taylor will be playing his final Test match in the ongoing Bangladesh tour of New Zealand. It will be the perfect venue for Taylor to bid goodbye to the game as the home crowd will be pleased to see the veteran walk in whites for the last time. Taylor will last play his final match for the team in April during the ODI series against Netherlands.

Taylor has played 111 Tests for the Kiwis and will play his 112th Test match at Hagley Oval against Bangladesh. He is currently playing in the 1st test against Bangladesh, the right hander batter will become the joint highest capped player for the team in Tests with former captain Daniel Vettori. Taylor has scored over 7000 runs in Tests which is the highest in the side and has the second most hundreds in the format with 19 of them. His score of 290 against Australia in 2015 is the third highest score by a New Zealand batter and only four players have scored higher than batting at number four.

The 37 year old made his Test debut in 2007 against South Africa in Johannesburg in which he could not last long. He even bowled 3 overs in the match while conceding 10 runs and after that has only bowled on 7 occasions even taking two wickets against India in 2010. Taylor scored his first century in his fifth Test and did it against England at Hamilton as his last century came against the same team in the same venue.

“It’s been an amazing journey and I feel incredibly fortunate to have represented my country for as long as I have,” Taylor said in a statement. “It’s been such a privilege to play with and against some of the greats of the game and to have created so many memories and friendships along the way.

 

“But all good things must come to an end and the timing feels right for me. I want to thank my family, friends and all those who have helped me get to this point. There’ll be plenty of time for more thank-yous and reflections later in the season – but for now I want all my energy and focus to be on preparing and performing for the Black Caps this summer.”

 

The former captain is one of the greatest middle order batters in the game and will hope to associate with the team in any future assignments. The New Zealand team will hope to give the hero a befitting farewell at home.

 

Also read: Takeaways from India's squad for ODIs against South Africa

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