PALLEKELE: Ross Taylor smashed a brilliant career-best hundred to lift New Zealand to an emphatic 302-7 in their key World Cup Group A match against Pakistan at the new Pallekele stadium on Tuesday. After captain Daniel Vettori won the toss and decided to bat first, New Zealand set Pakistan a difficult target of 303 runs.Taylor was given two 27th birthday gifts, dropped on zero and eight off Shoaib Akhtar, before unleashing some of the most incredible slugging ever inflicted on an attack in a one-day international cricket match never mind the World Cup He thumped seven towering sixes and eight boundaries in his unbeaten knock of 131 scored off 124 balls for his fourth one-day hundred Taylor made the most of his good fortune and ran riot in the 47th over of the innings, hitting paceman Akhtar for two boundaries and three sixes -- 28 runs in all -- to reach his first World Cup hundred off 117 deliveries.He then hit two boundaries and three sixes to take 30 off Abdul Razzaq's 49th over, helping New Zealand add 100 in the last five overs.Taylor added a blistering 85 for the seventh wicket with Jacob Oram (25 off just nine balls, with three sixes and a boundary) off just 22 balls to punish a hapless Pakistan bowling attack.Taylor's previous best of 128 not out came against Sri Lanka at Napier in 2006. In all, New Zealand blasted 92 runs off the last four overs. Taylor added 57 for the third wicket with Martin Guptill (57) and 62 for the fifth wicket with Scott Styris (28).Shoaib had provided Pakistan's breakthrough as early as the fourth ball when he bowled Brendon McCullum for six.Pakistan had opened the bowling with left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman, the first time they had used such a tactic since April 1998 when Mohammad Hussain opened against South Africa in a one-dayer at Centurion.It was paceman Umar Gul (3-32) who dismissed Jamie How (four) to make it 55-2, leaving the repair work to Taylor and Guptill.Both team made two changes each from their last game. New Zealand left out the unwell Jesse Ryder and paceman Hamish Bennett and brought in How and Oram.Pakistan brought back Shoaib Akhtar and Abdur Rehman from their line-up against Canada.
