“If the hundred comes, it comes”

Image courtesy of: Zimbio

Ross Taylor may be one century behind equalling his late mentor Martin Crowe’s record for the most triple figure scores by a New Zealand player in Test cricket, but the veteran Black Caps batsman is not thinking about it going into the two-Test series against Bangladesh.

In his last Test match, which came against Pakistan in November, Taylor scored an unbeaten 102, which marked his 16th Test hundred.

While Taylor, who recently had a growth removed from his left eye, doesn’t want to dwell on Crowe’s record, it hasn’t stopped the general public from doing so, according to the 32-year-old.

“I think a lot of other people have brought it up,” he said. “Even people in the supermarket come and mention it to you.”

The Wellington native also made it clear that if he does equal the record, then it will be something he cherishes for a long time. However, if he fails to add his name next to Crowe’s, then his main aim will be to try and stay as consistent with the bat as possible.

“Sometimes, you just play cricket and you just meander along and I think that is when the goals come into it,” he said. “At the moment, I’m pretty happy with where my game is at. If I can get myself in and play well, then if the hundred comes, it comes. If not, I’ll just continue to try and be as consistent as possible.”

Being one of the most senior players in the Test squad, Taylor admitted that he will look to take on a mentoring role going forward and help younger talents get accustomed to the hardships of Test cricket.

“I know what it felt like when I came into the New Zealand set-up as a youngster,” he said. “A lot of older guys started retiring towards the beginning of my career and I had no one to really learn off, so hopefully I can hang around and teach a few of these youngsters and help them along the way.”

The two-Test series between New Zealand and Bangladesh begins on Thursday in Wellington.