ODI cricket seeks reliability in middle order and Ross Taylor was the embodiment of it. But rarely does Ross Taylor receive accreditation for it. An ODI playing XI requires someone in the middle who can churn out runs initially by running between the wickets and finish it off with a flurry of boundaries. Ross Taylor did exactly that for a long period of time for New Zealand.
An authoritative batsman against spinners in the middle overs who could milk singles and doubles with ease, Taylor was equally commanding against pace in the slog overs. His ability to hold one end firmly consistently made him a reliable batsman in the New Zealand playing XI.
Arguably the best middle order batsman of the decade spanning over 2011 to 2020, Taylor racked up most runs (5957) while batting below number 3 in this period. Only AB Devilliers had a higher average (61.93) than Ross Taylor (58.58) during the decade while batting below number 3 with the cut off of 1000 runs.
If we go specifically about number 4, Taylor has the highest average (59.00) alongside most runs (5900) with the same cut off. 18 hundreds by him while batting at number 4 is the most by anyone between 2011 to 2020, with AB De Villiers considerably behind at second position with 10 hundreds.
Best of the lot from Ross Taylor on this front was his magnificent 181* against England at Dunedin in 2018. Chasing a big total of 335 in a must win game, NZ were limping at 2 down for 2 runs before Taylor took guard at the crease. He, alongside Kane Williamson and Tom Latham, took New Zealand home with 3 balls to spare and took the five match series to the decider.
From 63 off 71 at one stage, Taylor exploded in his way to plunder 118 runs in next 66 balls to script a fascinating win for the Kiwis. Overall, Taylor scored 181* off 147 balls with 17 fours and six humongous sixes.
His 74 off 90 balls against a sturdy Indian bowling attack in the semifinal of World Cup 2019 was another highlight of him being a top middle order batter in ODI cricket.
But things were not so good for Taylor for the first 5-6 years of his career. From his debut to the end of 2000s, he had a middling batting average of 35.45 with just 3 centuries in 93 matches. So, it would not be a bad idea to put Ross Taylor in the bracket of late bloomers.
Overall, Ross Taylor finished his ODI career as the highest run getter (8607) for New Zealand alongside most hundreds (21) at an average of 47.55, only behind Kane Williamson’s average of 48.64 among those who scored 2000 runs in the format.
