'Do better than what I did' - Brendon McCullum has a cheeky advice for Ross Taylor ahead of his 100th Test

New Zealand middle-order batsman Ross Taylor is on the cusp of history. Not only is Taylor set to become the first cricketer to play 100 matches in each of the three formats of the game but he is also set to become only the fourth cricketer from the South Hemisphere country to feature in 100 Test matches.

Taylor will join the elite list of former Kiwi captains– Stephen Fleming, Daniel Vettori, and Brendon McCullum. The right-hander has been getting congratulatory messages from all around the world which also included a special message from McCullum who has advised Taylor to fare better than what he did in his 100th Test, the Kiwi No.4 revealed to the media on Wednesday.

“I just got a call from Brendon before we got here saying ‘all the best’, he said to do better than he did. I don’t know what he did in his game, I asked if there were any tips on how to deal with tickets. It’s obviously a special club to join, and it’s nice to hear from fellow players who have been there,” said Taylor as quoted by www.tvnz.co.nz.

Brendon McCullum managed to score just 10 runs in his 100th Test

McCullum, who became the first player to play 100 consecutive Tests had a forgettable outing- both as a batsman as well as a captain- during his 100th five-day game against Australia back in 2016 at Basin Reserve in Wellington- the same venue where Taylor will play his 100th. McCullum could manage 0 & 10 across two innings as New Zealand fell to a chastening defeat by an innings and 52 runs.

Taylor’s 100th Test would have come in Australia, had the last Test of New Zealand’s previous home season against Bangladesh in Christchurch not got abandoned due to a bomb blast. And, so with him set to bring up the milestone at home, Taylor is in hot demand for tickets from friends and family.

“I don’t know if I’ve got enough tickets for them all. They’re all coming out of the woodwork – old coaches, things like that. As I said before, it’s a nice time to celebrate them and what they’ve done for my career. I think my celebrating comes after the match. This is to thank them for all the sacrifices they’ve made,” said Taylor.

In 99 Tests, Taylor has racked up 7175 runs- the most by a New Zealand batsman- at an average of 45.7 with the help of 33 fifties and 19 centuries, and all of New Zealand will hope he adds a few more to his tally and make the occasion even more historic.

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