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Runs, tears and captaincy drama: Take a look back at Ross Taylor's road to 100 test caps for New Zealand

February 21, 2020

From his 2007 debut to captaincy controversies and beating his mentor's records - it's been an incredible ride so far.

Today Ross Taylor made his 100th Test appearance for the Black Caps when he stepped onto the field at the Basin Reserve against India today, making him the only player in the world to reach 100 international caps in all formats of the game. 

Since making his international debut in 2006 Taylor has been a staple of the New Zealand top order, however, his journey towards 100 Tests hasn't been an easy one.

In 2012 Taylor was involved in a well publicised fallout with then Black Caps coach Mike Hesson, which resulted in Taylor relinquishing his captaincy duties after only two years at the helm.

Many cricket fans were outraged, but none more so than the late New Zealand great Martin Crowe.

Crowe, a mentor and friend of Taylor withdrew from his commitments with NZ Cricket and burned his team blazer in protest.

After a brief hiatus, Taylor returned to the side and became a permanent fixture at number four, proving his worth with many game-defining innings.

Taylor, has since followed in the footsteps of his mentor, cementing his place alongside Crowe as one of the greatest batsmen to represent New Zealand.

Just this season, Taylor fulfilled the goal set upon him by Crowe and surpassed Stephen Fleming to become New Zealand's highest run scorer in Tests and ODIs with averages of 46.3 and 48.7 respectively.   

The 35 year-old has recently dismissed any talk of retirement, meaning Kiwi cricket fans may see a lot more memorable innings from Taylor in games to come.

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