Taylor delighted with well-structured knock

New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor was delighted with his maiden double century, scored against the West Indies in Dunedin on Wednesday, saying he was especially pleased with the way he structured his knock.

New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor was delighted with his maiden double century, scored against the West Indies in Dunedin on Wednesday, saying he was especially pleased with the way he structured his knock.

Taylor's 217 not out formed the backbone of the 609/9 declared the Kiwis posted on day two, and beat his previous best of 154, made in 2008 against England, by some margin, as he spread the knock over two days.

Taylor, who'd had a lean run of form, said at the close of play on day two: "It was nice to fight off those demons. Mentally, it was my best innings with the way I structured it in my head.

"The way I started and the frame of mind I was in, I was happy to be able to bat as long as I did. I was supported by a lot of batters and it was nice to get to 200."

Taylor was invariably asked about skipper Brendon McCullum, who made a century himself, and whether their relationship had stabilised after the drama surrounding the captaincy swap.

When asked if there was a rivalry, Taylor said: "No, we're teammates. We want to do well for the team and the country. There's always going to be that comparison until he retires, or I retire, but we can't control that. We just have to do our best every time."

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