Taylor continues to cut purple patch with record

Ross Taylor’s purple patch of form has produced another record, in a career full of them.

Taylor became the leading ODI runscorer for New Zealand during their third ODI against Bangladesh yesterday, hitting 69 to move past Stephen Fleming on the all-time list.

The 34-year-old’s innings at University Oval in Dunedin saw him move through to 8026 career ODI runs for the Black Caps — passing Fleming’s 8007, and doing so in 66 fewer innings. Fleming also scored 30 runs for the ICC World XI, meaning Taylor still needs 12 more runs to take the all-time ODI record for runs by a New Zealander.

However, Taylor now stands alone for the most ODI runs for the Black Caps.

“I knew I was close at the start of the day and it was nice to get to 8000 runs and it was a lovely reception that I got — humbling from this crowd,” he said. “I would’ve definitely taken that when I played my first match donkeys years ago now.”

Taylor started the day needing 51 runs to overtake his former teammate, and did so with a single to fine leg just after notching his 47th ODI 50.

He also became the fourth fastest batsmen to score 8000 ODI runs (203 innings) — behind only Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and Sourav Ganguly — and says he wants to set a tough milestone for his younger teammates to chase.

“You play long enough, some of these records come along. It’s about trying to play as many games as you can for your country, and these