NZ cricket milestone almost went unnoticed

Otautahi - A batting milestone almost went unnoticed last week while New Zealand broke an 18-year drought in demolishing South Africa in the test at Christchurch’s Hagley Oval.

Ross Taylor, set the new T20 record for the fastest hundred at Pukekura Park, in New Plymouth. The recently retired test batsman hit his century off 49 balls. This broke Canterbury’s Peter Fulton's 50-ball record for the fastest century, at Rangiora in 2016-17.

Taylor's hundred was his second A List hundred at Pukekura Park (the last having been against the Otago Volts in 2006); his fifth overall for the Central Stags; and the 26th List A century of his overall career.

His fastest hundred is also the third fastest T20 century on New Zealand soil, after Corey Anderson's 36-ball national record against the West Indies at Queenstown in 2014 and Jesse Ryder's 46-ball century, also against the West Indies in Queenstown in 2014.

Taylor's ton sits among the 31 fastest (by balls) in first class centuries worldwide.

He was the cornerstone of the New Zealand team for the last 10 years

A career-best 290 came against Australia at the WACA in late 2015 and in 2019 added a third double century to his tally with 200 against Bangladesh.

He scored 7683 test runs at 44.66 and 8581 one day runs at 48.20 but note the strike rate was 83.41. Taylor is ranked 15th in the world of ODIS in terms of the highest batting average.