Ross doesn’t want NZ to be No. 2
Ross Taylor is matter-of-fact when he reviews his career and previews New Zealand’s Champions Trophy hopes.
The elder statesman of New Zealand cricket has stamped his mark on the game over 11 illustrious years at the top. But leaving a legacy of being second is not something the 33-year-old wants. In 87 years of international cricket since New Zealand played their first Test in 1930, the only tournament they have won was when they beat India in the 2000 Champions Trophy final. Since Taylor joined the side six years later the trophy cabinet has been bare, he notes.
“Beating Australia 3-0 in the Chappell-Hadlee in 2007, the last World Cup (when NZ made the final for the first time) was pretty special and making the final of the (2009) Champions Trophy was a highlight,” he said.
Taylor senses this New Zealand side can put the runners-up tag to bed. “The players have played together for so long now we know each other so well. Our depth is probably our strength,” he said.
Even Daniele De Rossi, one of the hardest men in football, was reduced to tears as AS Roma talisman Francesco Totti brought down the curtain on a remarkable 25 years at his only professional club on Sunday.
A capacity crowd stayed behind for more than an hour after the end of the win over Genoa to bid farewell to a hugely gifted player who, many believed, could have won much more had he moved elsewhere but remained loyal to Roma throughout.
Totti, 40, came on in the 54th