WELLINGTON: Veteran New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor ruled out retirement on Friday following the Black Caps’ victory over India in the inaugural World Test Championship, saying he could still contribute to the team.

The 37-year-old hit the winning runs in New Zealand’s triumph at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton, easing the pain of defeats in the past two one-day World Cup deciders.

Taylor, who has played a key part in developing the Black Caps from also-rans into a genuine cricketing force, acknowledged his advancing years but said he had no immediate plans to quit.

“I’m just looking forward to going home and seeing the family,” he told Newstalk ZB. “Obviously I’m coming towards the end of my career but you don’t want to make decisions based on emotion and things like that. Hopefully I’ve still got a few games left in me for New Zealand.”

Taylor has previously not ruled out staying on until the 2023 one-day World Cup in the hope of completing unfinished business from 2015 and 2019.

He is New Zealand’s leading run-scorer in Tests and One-day Internationals, demonstrating his worth with vital contributions in the win over India and the Test series victory over England that preceded it.

Taylor played down suggestions from legendary New Zealand all-rounder Sir Richard Hadlee that the current Black Caps’ side was the best in history.

“I wouldn’t get too carried away. We’ve had some fantastic teams [like] the team of the 1980s,” he said. “But this current group are proud of what they’ve achieved and hopefully can achieve some special things in the future as well.”

Published in Dawn, June 26th, 2021