Blackcaps v Bangladesh: Ross Taylor unlikely to emulate Brendon McCullum's record-breaking century in final test

Don't expect Ross Taylor to go out with the kind of bang that former teammate Brendon McCullum left test cricket with.

Taylor plays his last red-ball match for New Zealand against Bangladesh at Christchurch's Hagley Oval, starting Sunday.

At the same venue, McCullum ended his test career against Australia in 2016, scoring 145 from 79 balls in a two-hour stay at the crease, bringing up his century off just 54 balls - the fastest ton in test history.

Taylor, who missed that match through injury, says McCullum's last test banger will be hard to surpass by anyone - including himself.

"Baz set the bar very high," Taylor says. "It will just be good to have a win - the first of the summer - but in terms of Baz's last test, he has that locked down for a long while to come. 

"There won't be too many people that can do what he did in his last match."

With the Blackcaps desperate for victory to avoid a first home test series loss since that 2-0 defeat at the hands of Australia six years ago, Taylor admits he's still coming to grips with donning the whites for the final time.

Instead, the veteran's focus is on helping his side turn around their fortunes at a venue where they have storied success, with six test wins in the last seven outings.

"I still have several one-dayers to go, so if it was my last game full stop, I would probably feel a little bit different. We are 1-0 down, with all to play for here at Hagley. 

"We know what to expect here a lot more than we did in the Mount [Maunganui]. It's a wicket that is going to bounce and carry the whole time. 

"There will be a lot of grass on the wicket, and our batters and bowlers are used to it."

New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor celebrates his century during play on Day 5. 2nd Test match. New Zealand Black Caps v England. International Cricket at Seddon Park, Hamilton, New Zealand. Tuesday 3 December 2019 © Copyright Photo: Andrew Cornaga / www.photosport.nz
Photo credit: Photosport

Taylor stresses the importance of not dwelling on the eight-wicket loss at Bay Oval this week.

With 111 test match appearances in the bank, Taylor has seen it all, from the heights of a World Test Championship win at Southampton to a first-ever test loss against Bangladesh.

"When you have such a long career, you go through ebbs and flows like that, but if you look at it from a neutral point of view, I think it was a good thing for world cricket.

"For Bangladesh to come here and win - for the game of test cricket - I don't think it was a bad result. 

"We were disappointed that we didn't put up a better contest, but we talk about not getting too high when we're winning or too low when we're not, so we are trying to keep as level as possible.

"We are 1-0 down, so we want to play aggressive cricket, but it's also a ground where we know how to play and a ground we have had a lot of success at."

Join us on Sunday for live updates of the second Blackcaps v Bangladesh test