DOESN’T FEEL LIKE I’LL BE PLAYING MY LAST TEST, SAYS ROSS TAYLOR

New Zealand batter Ross Taylor, who will be playing his last Test match against Bangladesh, said that he does not feel anything different about it. New Zealand’s current Test series against Bangladesh will be Taylor’s farewell from the longest format of the game before he plays his final ODIs against Australia and Netherlands. “It doesn’t feel like it, my last game. It hasn’t really dawned on me just yet. I suppose when you’ve still got one-dayers to go… if it was my last game full stop, then definitely it might feel a little bit different,” ESPNcricinfo quoted Ross Taylor as saying.

“My daughter still hasn’t grasped the concept of five-day cricket yet. When I got out the other day she said, ‘Come on, Dad, let’s go home’,” he added.

New Zealand lost the first Test against Bangladesh by eight wickets here at the Mount Maunganui and the Kiwi batter is hoping to fight back in the seocnd Test at Christchurch.

“It’s all to play for here at a ground that we know well. I still think we’re learning how to play in the Mount. But we know what to expect a lot more here than we did in the Mount (Maunganui), I think. It’s going to have bounce and carry the whole time. There’s going to be a lot of grass on it. It’s conditions that us batters are used to and I’m sure our bowlers are as well,” said Taylor.

“So, if we win the toss, we’re more often than not going to bowl and if you’re batting first, you’ve got to scrap through. Sometimes our lower order has got us out of trouble. So, just trying to scrap to 200 can be well above par. We’ll just have to wait and see,” he added.

Meanwhile, Kiwi batter Devon Conway said that it was an honour to play with Ross Taylor and the team will try their best to turn the things around to give a proper farewell to him.

“As a team, we definitely want to try and turn things around and send him off in a nice, positive way. It’s been a real honour to play alongside him even though it’s been sort of five Test matches for me personally but just to be in and around Ross in that change-room, it is an honour,” said Devon Conway.