The departing hero provided a throwback to his heyday when he hoicked Logan van Beek for six
Himanshu Agrawal04-Apr-2022Standing a step back to get deep in the crease? Yup. A slight shuffle across off stump? Done. Front leg out of the way? Correct. Back leg nearly or fully bent? Right. Bat swing like a broom? Sure. A swipe across the line for six over wide long-on? Why not? Ross Taylor did all of this in a flash when he deposited Logan van Beek over the ropes in his farewell international innings.Turning the clock back, the 38-year-old expertly swung at the ball like he did in his prime, the neat execution an outcome of free bat-swing and a fearless mindset to accumulate quick runs for his side. The shot was a throwback to the days when he swept and swiped spin and pace alike, in the arc between deep midwicket and long-on, at will.The moment the ball landed beyond the fence, there was hope something bigger was to come. The noise that the crowd produced in that spilt second – the screeching, the whistling, and the cheering – was never heard in two-and-a-half hours of play until then. In all, the New Zealand batters hit 23 fours and ten sixes on Monday, but none of them invited a remotely close reaction.Related
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Earlier in the day, it seemed as if Taylor would never walk out to bat. His team-mates Martin Guptill and Will Young had put on 203 for the second wicket, and they looked good to pile on more runs and misery on Netherlands. However, in the 39th over, the stand ended when Guptill gloved a catch behind and ceded the stage to Taylor. Perhaps, no New Zealand supporter had ever wanted a wicket to fall so desperately.And when Taylor finally walked out to bat, it was as if the whole of Hamilton stood still; or at least Seddon Park did. The entire crowd stood on its feet and welcomed their departing hero. Taylor’s team-mates in the dressing room gave him a standing ovation, and Guptill, the man dismissed, chose to stand across the rope just in front of the fence while banging his helmet with his glove to allow Taylor his moment, much like Henry Nicholls had done when Taylor was dismissed in his final Test against Bangladesh in January.That afternoon, Nicholls, who was the next man in, opted to wait in the dressing room to let Taylor walk back and absorb the applause of the Christchurch crowd.And as every deserving legend, Taylor was welcomed by the opposition for his final international match by a guard of honour.
Of course he does! @RossLTaylor takes the catch that completes his final match for the BLACKCAPS! #NZvNED pic.twitter.com/eL1Xf9c7aC
— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) April 4, 2022