Taylor buoyed by home record ahead of Aussie series
Ross Taylor feels for New Zealand fans but he is not complacent about a weakened Australian outfit ahead of the Chappell-Hadlee series.
Holders of the trans-Tasman one-day cricket trophy after belting the Black Caps 3-0 at home in December, Australia have arrived for the return leg without their two best batsmen and captaincy duo.
Pugnacious opener David Warner is resting, while equally prolific skipper Steve Smith has a minor ankle injury, both being given time out to prepare for a test series in India that is already front and centre for many across the ditch.
Warner scored two centuries and Smith one in 68, 116 and 117-run victories over New Zealand last month. They continued mostly in that fashion in a 4-1 series win against Pakistan during the past two weeks, meaning their absence in undoubtedly positive for Kiwi prospects heading into the Chappell-Hadlee opener at Eden Park in Auckland tomorrow.
The Black Caps most experienced figure acknowledged as much with his assessment of Warner and Smith’s form. But Taylor was quick to note there were downsides from a New Zealand perspective and warned it was far from a case of turning up and reclaiming the silverware from an Australian side who had wicketkeeper Matthew Wade taking the captaincy reins.
‘‘They’ll be looking to Wade to step up but at the same time I’m sure the New Zealand public would have loved to have Smith and Warner here, they love reminding them of a few things,’’ Taylor said.
‘‘Anytime you play Australia, regardless of who they put on the field, you know they will be very tough.
‘‘And they’ve still got their top lineup of bowlers. [Mitchell] Starc, [Josh] Hazlewood, [Pat] Cummins, they’re world class.’’
Two players who fit into the same category, Warner and Smith, were in full flight as world No 1 Australia ripped the trophy from the Black Caps’ grasp.
Warner blasted 299 runs across the largely one-sided matches in Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne, with Smith racking up a series tally of 236 as the hosts averaged 322 batting first in all three contests.
Importantly from the New Zealand side of the ledger, they have taken the chances they have been afforded to put that lashing behind them.
The Black Caps returned home to record a test series win over Pakistan and clean sweeps in all three formats against Bangladesh.
If nothing else, they were results which proved, Warner and Smith in town or not, this series should be much more competitive.
Although not there to experience it, Taylor was adamant there would be no hangover from their December demolition.
‘‘We haven’t talked about that too much,’’ he said. ‘‘We play so much these days, you can’t dwell on things.
‘‘We know Australia will be a step up on what we’ve come up against in the last little while but you have to get on with what’s in front of you.
‘‘We’ve added a couple of new faces and we have a pretty good record at home . . . anytime you play Australia you want to win and when you lose it’s not a great feeling.’’
Along with captain Kane Williamson and opener Martin Guptill, who scored a sublime century and was New Zealand’s best batsman in the December series, Taylor holds the key to ensuring his team is doing the former, not the latter, during the next week.