KEY POINTS:
In April what chance that New Zealand fans will be reflecting on the summer which moved Ross Taylor from a hugely promising talent to a genuine international star?
Certainly New Zealand's batting order could do with someone stepping up to the plate as the main man. Martin Crowe was that player for years; Stephen Fleming became the batsman on whom New Zealand hopes primarily rested for the last 10 years.
The situation is, excuse the pun, tailormade for someone to step in and fill the vacancy.
Taylor's breezy 103 - his third ODI century - set up New Zealand's win in the third and deciding ODI against Bangladesh at Chittagong on Tuesday.
When the first Test starts on the same ground today, Taylor will be eyeing a summer of nine Tests against four nations. It could be the making of him.
His debut series in South Africa late last year produced four ordinary innings, and he was overlooked for Bangladesh's visit.
However he got his chance in the England series and grabbed it. In six home and away Tests against England, Taylor hit 553 runs, averaging 50.
Three Test innings left vivid memories, for different reasons.
At Hamilton, Taylor's maiden Test hundred, 120, obliged the doubters to make a fresh reappraisal of a man who until then had appeared to be a batsman who often gave the impression of being late for a bus.
In that innings, which helped set up a crushing win, he batted 5h 22min, and faced 235 balls. He put his head down and got a terrific reward for a conscientious effort.
Two Tests later - after a pair of 50s in the loss in Wellington - New Zealand were facing defeat on the final day, the target a huge 553.
On a cloudless day with the McLean Park pitch playing well, there were five wickets standing. New Zealand could have made life difficult for the England bowlers, but Taylor batted like a man in a 200m race when what was required was the self assurance to back himself for a 10,000m journey.
In nine overs, New Zealand added 54, Taylor larruping the bowling round McLean Park making it all look easy. Then he was out at 74 and New Zealand were gone just after lunch.
He went to England and crushed a spectacular 154 not out off only 176 balls at Old Trafford in the second Test. Among New Zealanders, only Martin Donnelly (206 not out at Lord's in 1949) and Bevan Congdon (176 and 175 in the 1973 series) have made more runs in a Test innings in England. His third 50 came off only 42 balls, four of them sailing into the crowd.
The boy can play; it's simply a case of harnessing those gifts on a regular basis.
Of Hamilton, Taylor described it as "the most controlled I've ever felt in an innings".
"I have broken a new barrier and am confident I can continue to build from here."
Napier represented something of a return to the "old" Taylor, all splash and dash without suggesting permanency at the crease.
And Old Trafford? It was a dominant performance around which New Zealand's otherwise ordinary batting lineup managed to reach 381 yet, despite holding a 179-run first innings lead, contrived to lose the match by six wickets.
Taylor's early years revealed a firm bottom hand, which at times had him playing shots more suited to a hockey pitch. Balls which should have travelled straight down the ground headed towards mid wicket.
But he's learning. A tweaking of his batting grip has helped and New Zealand's batting coach Mark O'Neill has talked of a keen pupil, who listens, absorbs information and is benefiting.
"He is a good player, takes suggestions in the way they are meant and understands what coaching is about," O'Neill said.
The pair seem to have struck a good rapport. Indeed, perhaps the only disappointment for the polite, well-spoken young man when he made his Hamilton ton was that O'Neill was not there to see the fruits of his work. He had returned to Sydney for the funeral of his father, the former Australian batting great Norm O'Neill.
"Mark O'Neill has had a big influence on me since he's come into the team," Taylor said.
O'Neill's countrymen will give Taylor a rigorous examination next month. He has shown he possesses the batting skills, so too the concentration and discipline. Put them altogether and New Zealand has an exciting package.
New Zealand's batting rock for the next decade? It's up to him.
