Christchurch
\nRoss Taylor saluted Bangladesh for their upset win in the first Test but warned Friday that a green Christchurch wicket was much more in New Zealand\u2019s favour as he looks to bow out of Test cricket with a bang.
\nThe hosts are desperate to save the two-Test series to get some momentum in the defence of their world Test crown following two losses and a draw in their first three matches.
\nThe second match against Bangladesh, starting on Sunday, will be the farewell Test appearance for Taylor, New Zealand\u2019s most prolific run-scorer.
\nIt will be his 112th Test, equalling Daniel Vettori as New Zealand\u2019s most-capped Test player.
\nBangladesh\u2019s shock eight-wicket defeat of New Zealand in Mount Maunganui this week was \u201cgood for world cricket\u201d, the 37-year-old Taylor said.
\n\u201cWe were outplayed the whole time. But for this game of Test cricket to survive we need Bangladesh to be a thriving nation and I think they will get a lot of confidence from that.\u201d
\nBut nothing would give Taylor greater pleasure than to avoid a series defeat and sign off with a victory.
\n\u201cWe\u2019re one-nil down, we know we have to play some aggressive cricket, but it\u2019s also a ground that we know how we\u2019re going to play and we\u2019ve have had a lot of success here,\u201d he said after checking with the groundsman on the state of the wicket.
\n\u201cI just asked is it a normal wicket and he said \u2018yes\u2019,\u201d a smiling Taylor said. \u2018Normal\u2019 at Hagley Oval means very green and winning the toss means bowling first.
\n\u201cThe bowlers will be licking their lips and us batters need to apply ourselves better than we did at the Mount. I think these conditions will suit us a lot more than they did at the Mount,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cWe know what to expect and that\u2019s the positive about being at home and on a ground where we\u2019ve played a lot of cricket on.\u201d
\nOnly one of eight Tests at Hagley Oval has been drawn and of the seven to produce a result, New Zealand have won six.
\nThe one they lost, against Australia in 2016, was Brendon McCullum\u2019s farewell to Test cricket and the swashbuckling batsman marked the occasion with the fastest-ever century in Test cricket.<\/p>\n
He brought up his world-record 100 off 54 balls and went on to make 145 from 79 deliveries.<\/p>\n
Taylor admitted that would be hard to emulate.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s set the bar very high. It would be good just to have a win,\u201d said Taylor.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think there\u2019s going to be many people who are going to be able to do what he did in his last match.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Christchurch Ross Taylor saluted Bangladesh for their upset win in the first Test but warned Friday that a green Christchurch wicket was much more in New Zealand\u2019s favour as he looks to bow out of Test cricket with a bang. The hosts are desperate to save the two-Test series to get some momentum in the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":237522,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[432,251,1922,2731],"class_list":{"0":"post-237491","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports","8":"tag-bangladesh","9":"tag-farewell","10":"tag-new-zealand","11":"tag-taylor"},"yoast_head":"\n