Taylor hits century as Kiwis draw

Ross Taylor hit a century as New Zealand opted for batting practice on the last day of their three-day tour game against Northants at Wantage Road.

The Kiwis had begun the day on 38-3 and Taylor smashed six sixes and 17 fours before retiring when he reached 150.

But after he departed, the tourists declined to make it a contest, finally declaring on 317-7 at tea to set Northants a notional target of 466.

Northants had made their way to 85-2 when a draw was agreed at 1715 BST.

Ironically, of New Zealand's top five batsmen in this game, Taylor was the least in need of runs - with James Marshall and Daniel Flynn failing to take their opportunity ahead of the third and final Test, scoring just 21 runs between them in the match.

But after Flynn fell early to leave the Kiwis 54-4, Taylor dominated century stands with acting captain Brendon McCullum (35) and reserve wicket-keeper Gareth Hopkins, whose 63 was his first half-century for the Black Caps.

David Wigley, who took the first four wickets, finished with 4-77, giving him match figures of 9-155 against the tourists - while he momentarily discomforted Taylor by cracking his box.

McCullum later defended his decision to carry on batting after Taylor reached three figures - citing the need for his players to boost their confidence ahead of the third Test.

"There was obviously a temptation to declare then," he said.

"But at the same time, I thought it was the right decision to carry on.

"It was one of those situations where we wanted to put the hammer down in terms of our own self-belief, to build some confidence within the unit, and that's exactly what we did.

"There were a couple of things we targeted coming into the game that we needed to rectify and get right going into the Test match, and I think over the last three days some real positives have come out.

"We weren't in a great position when Ross came out to bat - and to walk off with 150 under his belt was outstanding."
Northants played a few shots, with Stephen Peters hitting a rapid 52 before the draw was agreed.