New Zealand vs Sri Lanka: Ross Taylor betters Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar’s record

To see somebody breaking a batting record of Indian captain Virat Kohli is unusual but former New Zealand captain Ross Taylor did so on Tuesday when he slammed 137 against Sri Lanka in the final match of the three-ODI series in Nelson to power his side to a huge total in 50 overs. It was the 34-year-old batsman’s sixth consecutive 50-plus score in the ODIs and it put him a knock ahead of Kohli and former batting legend Sachin Tendulkar who have done so on five occasions.

The 137 was Taylor’s 20th ton in the ODIs and now he has more number of centuries in the 50-over format than any of his compatriots (the next best is Nathan Astle with 16 hundreds). He has been one of the most productive ODI batsmen since the start of 2017 and his last 10 scores are as follows: 1, 59, 113, 10, 181 not out, 80, 86 not out, 54, 90 and 137.

Taylor equals compatriots Kane Williamson and Andrew Jones

In terms of most number of consecutive 50-plus scores, Taylor now matches the current Kiwi captain Kane Williamson’s record from 2015 and also former batsman Andrew Jones (1988-89) as the Black Caps’ record holders. From other countries, Mohammad Yousuf (Pakistan), Gordon Greenidge (Windies) and Mark Waugh (Australia) also have scored six consecutive fifties. Of them, Yousuf scored his six fifties on the trot in a time span of just 30 days in September-October 2003. The table topper is, however, Pakistan’s Javed Miandad who scored nine back-to-back fifties in 1987.

Among the Indians, Tendulkar had scored five consecutive fifties early in his career in 1994 when he was just five years into international cricket. Kohli, on the other hand, did it in 2012 when he too was just four years old on the international stage.

Taylor’s hundred saw New Zealand winning the final game against the Lankans by 115 runs to bag the series 3-0. Ross Taylor was picked as the man of the match and he said he would have taken that (scoring 20th century) at the start of his career. He said he is getting old and hopefully he had a few more left in him.

New Zealand will take on India in five ODIs and three T20Is at home later this month and it is likely to turn out into a battle between the Taylors and Williamsons and the Kohlis and Rohit Sharmas.

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