Taylor the best since Crowe?
13-Dec-2013
With his recent run of good form, Ross Taylor has begun to garner attention of whether he is indeed New Zealand's best batsman of all time. David Leggatt, in his column for New Zealand Herald muses over whether the right-hander has done enough to get that title and explores some of the former titans of New Zealand batting. Ultimately Leggat concludes that Martin Crowe, long seen as the island's best batting product, still holds on to the moniker.
He has joined the 200 club - of whom there are now 13 - has 10 test hundreds, and only three men made more, a list topped by his mentor Crowe. He has years to run and in time may overhaul Crowe, and Stephen Fleming's test run tally for that matter. When/if that happens, this subject will doubtless get another extensive airing. But it is too simplistic to say the batsman with the best average is, ergo, the best batsman. On that basis, Taylor is New Zealand's best test batsman of all. He may finish with that mantle, but not yet.