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Ross Taylor reveals intimate moment he shared with late mentor Martin Crowe after milestone 18th century

March 12, 2019

Ross Taylor smashed the ball over the rope yesterday to bring up his 18th Test century and before he continued his game-changing innings, he took a moment to look up to the sky.

After hitting the six off Taijul Islam, the 35-year-old wanted to share the milestone with his late mentor Martin Crowe.

"I just told [Crowe] I'm sorry it's taken me so long to get there."

Taylor's 18th Test ton saw him pass Crowe, who died in 2016 of cancer, for the second most centuries by a Black Caps batsman, but Taylor said he also managed to break another record with his 200-run innings.

"I also broke [Crowe's] record for most runs at the Basin Reserve, so he's probably a bit annoyed with that one."

Taylor has been chasing this century for two years - his 17th ton was in December 2017 against the West Indies - and he admits it had been on his mind for some time.

"I guess 17 was such a big number since when I started playing cricket, that when I got there it was probably a little bit of a relief. Then I didn't kick on – it was probably a little bit in my subconscious, and I must admit it played on my mind for a little bit as well.

"Before this [Test] I talked to our sports psychologist Pete [Sanford], and just acknowledged that it's always going to be there. It's nice now to knock it off."

Taylor's knock helped the Black Caps reach 432/6 before they declared in the weather-affected Test, with the Black Caps' bowling attack reducing Bangladesh to 80/3 at stumps on Day Four.

It means the Black Caps hold a 141-run lead heading into the final day as they look to snatch an unlikely Test win from just three days of action in Wellington.

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