• Home
• /
• Cricket

Taylor ton helps Kiwis rack up 398-5

Taylor’s 119 not out and Kane Williamson’s 93 did the bulk of the damage as England conceded their highest total in all one-day internationals.

New Zealand’s Ross taylor hits a shot to reach his century during the second odi against england in london. — AFP

London — Ross Taylor’s century helped New Zealand turn the tables on England as the World Cup finalists piled up 398 for five in the second one-day international at The Oval on Friday.

Taylor’s 119 not out and Kane Williamson’s 93 did the bulk of the damage as England conceded their highest total in all one-day internationals, surpassing the 387 for five posted against them by India at Rajkot in 2008.

Chris Jordan’s return of one for 97 in nine overs equalled the England record for the most expensive in an ODI innings, with former fast bowler Stephen Harmison also conceding 97 runs, but in 10 wicketless overs, against Sri Lanka at Headingley in 2006.

Remarkably, in view of what followed, the innings started with a maiden from fast bowler Steven Finn, but from then on New Zealand were on top with England rarely making use of the yorker as the runs kept coming. The most England have made batting second to win a one-day international is 306 for five, needing 305, against Pakistan at Karachi in 2000.

Tuesday’s series opener at Edgbaston had seen England pile up a national record 408 for nine as they won by 210 runs.

But Brendon McCullum didn’t make the same mistake twice, the New Zealand captain opting to bat first this time after winning the toss. An equally good batting pitch, once more allied to a lack of swing, again worked in favour of the team batting first and this time it was England who dropped several tough chances — with Taylor missed twice. McCullum took 21 off all-rounder Jordan’s third over, the sixth of the innings, including two successive sixes, in the course of a typically quickfire 39.

Martin Guptill went on to complete a 51-bally fifty but was out soon afterwards when he miscued a pull off Ben Stokes to Jordan at short mid-wicket. Taylor had a let off on seven when a diving Jason Roy at backward point failed to hold a tough chance following a fierce cut off Plunkett.

By contrast, Williamson gently persuaded the ball to the boundary with several deft late cuts.

Williamson also took 16 off one Adil Rashid over, pulling the leg-spinner for six and then lofting him over mid-off for two stylish fours in successive balls. Taylor had a second reprieve, on 40, when Joe Root at short extra-cover could only parry, rather than catch, a hard-hit drive off Stokes.

Williamson fell just short of a hundred when he chipped a Stokes full toss to Plunkett at mid-on. But Taylor, who went to his fifty with a slog-swept six off Rashid, pressed on to an 87-ball century, including eight fours and three sixes — his 13th century at this level.