Australia vs New Zealand 2015: Ross Taylor 3rd New Zealand batsman to score 300 in a Test

Playing for New Zealand against Australia at Western Australia Cricket Ground (WACA) in the second Test of the 2015-16 series, a resurgent Ross Taylor had already made his way into record books by scoring 290 in the first innings. His 290 is now the highest Test score by any visiting batsman on Australian soil. He also added 265 for the third wicket with Kane Williamson (166), which is now the highest partnership for any wicket for New Zealand against Australia. Taylor also hit 43 fours in his innings, which is another new record in the history of New Zealand cricket. He and David Warner also became the fifth pair to score 250s in the same Test. There have been more. Scorecard: Australia vs New Zealand 2015-15, 2nd Test at Perth

When Mitchell Johnson announced his retirement today morning, however, the records took a backseat. Johnson came out all guns blazing, removing Tom Latham and Martin Guptill, but Williamson and Taylor steadied ship. Taylor counterattacked, remaining unbeaten on a 35-ball 36. In the process he became the fifth New Zealand to score 300 runs in a Test.

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Most runs scored by New Zealand batsmen in a Test:

The trend is unmistakable. Sri Lanka seems to be the preferred opponent, while Wellington the preferred ground.

Note: The most runs by a New Zealand batsman in a Test batting only once was achieved by Bryan Young. He scored 267* against Sri Lanka (again!) at Dunedin in 1996-97.

Taylor also became the highest scorer in a Test by any batsman on Australian soil by a visiting batsman. The previous record for most runs in a Test was with ‘Tip’ Foster. Taylor had broken Foster’s innings record of 287 earlier in the Test. Full Updates: Australia vs New Zealand 2015, 2nd Test at Perth, Day 5

Most runs scored by visiting batsmen in a Test in Australia:

Interestingly, all five major Australian grounds feature in the top five. The highest score at Bellerive Oval by a visiting batsman is 249: Kumar Sangakkara had 57 and 192 (the second-innings being one of the highest moments in the legend’s illustrious career) in 2007-08.

Note: The most runs by a visiting batsman in a Test in Australia batting only once was achieved by Brian Lara. He scored 277 at SCG in 1992-93 (and promptly named his daughter Sydney).