
Ross Taylor desperate to play New Zealand’s deciding 5th ODI against England
Injured Black Cap Ross Taylor said today he was desperate to play in the one-day series decider against England, as pundits declared his unbeaten 181 the greatest ever limited-overs innings by a Kiwi batsman.
Taylor overcame cramps and a severe thigh strain to bludgeon New Zealand to victory with a career-best performance in the fourth ODI in Hamilton yesterday.
READ | Ross Taylor stars day before birthday as New Zealand beat England by 5 wickets
Grimacing with pain after every shot and limping between the wickets, he levelled the series 2-2 to set up a winner-takes-all clash in Christchurch on Saturday.
Coach Mike Hesson was reluctant to risk Taylor in the crunch match if there was risk of long-term injury, and has called in rookie Mark Chapman as cover.
“We need to know the extent of it and whether it’s one of those injuries that can get worse, or whether you can grin and bear it, we’re just not sure yet,” Hesson told reporters.
Taylor said he was keen to play and would be icing his injured thigh and resting with the intention of taking the field even if not fully fit.
“I’m hoping to,” he told Radio Sport.
READ | David Warner hits out at ‘vile, disgusting’ wife jibe by Quinton de Kock
“Obviously I won’t be 100 (percent) but we’ll just see how it pulls up in the next couple of days and give it the best chance possible.”
Taylor hurt his thigh earlier in the series then aggravated it diving to avoid a run out as New Zealand chased England’s challenging target of 336.
The 34-year-old’s 181 not out was his 19th ODI century and the third highest score by a New Zealander in the 50-over format.
But Dominion Post cricket writer Mark Geenty said the context and manner of Taylor’s knock made it a standout contender for New Zealand’s greatest ODI innings.
READ | Decision to increase top players’ money may eat into IPL revenues or state bodies’ share
Aside from Taylor’s injury, he pointed out that New Zealand were chasing a huge total against quality opposition to keep the series alive, and had lost their two openers for ducks.
“Taylor wins. No decision review system required,” he wrote.
Radio New Zealand’s Jamie Wall hailed “Ross the Boss” as one of the Black Caps’ all-time greats.
“It was the most definitive statement by Taylor that he is very much in contention for the title of New Zealand’s greatest batsman ever,” he wrote.

'A natural ball striker and clean hitter': Moody on Sundar-Thakur counter-attack
- Sundar and Thakur’s knocks were lauded by the entire cricketing fraternity with former Australia all-rounder Tom Moody highly impressed with their rearguard.

Sundar, Thakur lead India fightback but Australia still lead by 54 runs

'He plays a massive role for them': Hazlewood glad to remove 'key' India batsman
- India vs Australia: Each wicket is special for Hazlewood but the fast bowler is highly content with one dismissal in particular.

'Tula parat manla': Kohli tweets for Shardul, Manjrekar explains story behind it

Sundar breaks 110-yr-old record, Thakur top scores as Twitter goes crazy

'Ravi Shastri gets trolled just for the heck of it sometimes': Ex-Ind opener

1st Test: Leach takes five as nervous England near victory

'What planet he was on?': Waugh, Gilchrist roast Marnus for 'worst appeal'

'Rest in peace my king': Hardik Pandya's tribute for late father Himanshu Pandya

'Australian players were trying to have a conversation with me,' reveals Thakur
- India vs Australia: Shardul Thakur's innings, on expected lines, seemingly got under the skin of Australia, with the fast bowler explaining that the opposition reacted by chirping away a few words at him.

NZ all-rounder Jimmy Neesham undergoes surgery

WATCH: Sundar hits a no-look six off Lyon to send commentators into a frenzy

IND vs AUS: Washington Sundar becomes third Indian to achieve unique feat
- India vs Australia, 4th Test: Sundar made his debut in Brisbane and made an instant impact. Sundar picked up three wickets in the first innings with Steve Smith being his first wicket.

'A very good performance': Gavaskar has high praise for young Indian bowlers
- Virat Kohli, R Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Hanuma Vihari, KL Rahul, Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar have all missed part of the Test series or the whole contest itself.