Taylor joins exclusive club with 17th ODI ton

New Zealand veteran Ross Taylor became just the sixth player to notch one-day international centuries against every other International Cricket Council full member team with his match-winning ton against South Africa on Wedneday.

Taylor's unbeaten 102 against the Proteas in Christchurch saw him join Ricky Ponting, Herschelle Gibbs, Sachin Tendulkar, Hashim Amla and Virat Kohli as players to have scored 50-over tons against each of the other nine Test-playing sides.

The right-hander’s 17th ODI ton, which helped the the Black Caps record a six-run win over South Africa to level the five-match series 1-1 at Hagley Oval, lifted him past Nathan Astle as the most prolific Kiwi centurion in the format. 

New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson last year became the youngest man in Test history to post hundreds against all full member nations in the longest form of the game with his 113 against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo. 

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Taylor, who also posted a century in that match, needs Test tons against two more teams (South Africa and Bangladesh) to join Williamson in that club, which currently has 13 members.

Only Ponting and Tendulkar have scored centuries against every full member side in both ODIs and Tests.

Taylor could take a step closer to joining those greats if manages a ton against the Proteas in their three-Test series which follows the 50-over leg of South Africa’s tour.

But the 32-year-old squandered a number of golden chances to add Bangladesh to his Test century-making list. Taylor made 40, 60 and 77 in New Zealand's two-Test series against the Asian nation and now has five 50s in seven matches against Bangladesh in the longest format.

Of the other batsmen to achieve the feat in ODIs, Kohli has reached triple-figures against every Test side he’s played against, but he’s yet to face Pakistan, who India haven’t played in a five-day game since 2007 due to political tensions, or Zimbabwe in a Test match. 

Amla appears the closest to joining Ponting and Tendulkar; he has Test hundreds against eight other full member sides and just needs one against Zimbabwe to complete the set in the Test arena. He managed only four in his only Test innings against the African nation in 2014.

With his Christchurch ton, Taylor also became just the fourth New Zealander to tally 6000 ODI runs after Astle, Brendon McCullum and Stephen Fleming.

Having played alongside Astle in the early part of his career, Taylor says he feels sheepish to claim the record off the celebrated former hard-hitting opener.

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"I used to enjoy watching him bat," 32-year-old said of Astle.

"It's a little bit embarrassing taking it off him, but I guess when you have a long-ish career the milestones will come along.

"You've still got to enjoy them when they do and I guess it's extra special because it was a win."

Taylor has scored 705 runs at an average of 78.3 at all levels since undergoing surgery late last year on an eye condition which had been affecting his batting.