HAMILTON: New Zealand veteran batsman Ross Taylor said he wants to make a contribution and enjoy the occasion when he plays his final match for the ‘Black Caps’ on Monday.

Taylor will play his 450th and farewell match for New Zealand in Hamilton when they host the Netherlands in the last of their three-match One-day International series.

Taylor decided in December to retire from international cricket but will continue to play for his provincial side Central Districts until the end of the season before making a call on his future in domestic cricket.

“Probably the hardest part was coming to the decision,” Taylor told reporters on Sunday. “Once the decision was made, it was nice to let it all go. I’ll miss a lot of it, obviously, I’ll miss my team-mates.”

The 38-year-old is one of only four New Zealanders to play 100 Tests and also holds the nation’s record in ODI runs (8,593) and centuries (21).

He was also the world’s first to play in 100 internationals in all formats.

“All you can try and do is make a contribution, enjoy everything for the last time ... but not try and dwell on it too much, just try to enjoy the occasion and hopefully make a contribution,” Taylor added.

After years of being a cricket player, Taylor is gearing up for the role of a cricket dad.

“My son’s just starting to get into cricket now too,” he said. “I need to save my shoulder because I think I’m going to have to throw to him for the next few years and get a bit of payback on what my dad had to do to me.”

Published in Dawn, April 4th, 2022