Now into the final week of his career as an international cricketer, Blackcaps batter Ross Taylor is gearing up to put his pads on one last time.
Taylor, 38, will line up for the Blackcaps for the last time over the coming week, facing the Netherlands in three one day internationals, staged at Mt Maunganui's Bay Oval, and finishing at Hamilton's Seddon Park.
Two months on from his test retirement, where he finished his career by taking the final wicket in an innings victory over Bangladesh, Taylor's build-up to the Netherlands series has been turbulent to say the least.
Taylor's had to recover from COVID-19, ruling him out of action for Central Districts at domestic level, before rain wiped out a planned warm-up match against the tourists last week.
Despite the setbacks though, Taylor has experienced more than enough cricket - including over 400 internationals across all formats - to know how to roll with the punches.
"It's been a disjointed month," Taylor tells Newshub. "The family have had COVID, rain in the warm-up game, so the preparation's been interesting to say the least - but I guess you know this time was going to come.
"I don't know what the next couple of games will feel like. It was an emotional test match send-off.
"Knowing it's towards the end, [I'm] probably less emotional than I was a couple of months ago, anyway.
"You know there's another chapter, but you also know there's three games to go.
"You've still got to be excited. You'll obviously be a little bit disappointed to know that it's finishing, but at the same time excited to play with your teammates one more time - or hopefully three more times, and see how it goes from there."
New Zealand's easing of COVID-19 restrictions have opened the door for Taylor to receive the farewell he deserves, with friends, family and fans expected to pack Seddon Park to say goodbye.
A Hamilton farewell gives Taylor the perfect platform to end his career on a high as well. Seddon Park is among Taylor's most prolific grounds to bat on, averaging 62.21 runs with the bat in Hamilton - up on his career mark of 48.20.
And as a Hamilton local, Taylor hasn't been exempt from request after request from those looking for free tickets to share in his last days as a Blackcap.
"It's a lot easier for me in terms of finding my family and friends tickets," Taylor jokes.
"With those pods of 100, it was looking pretty dicey there for a little bit. But now with open stadiums, I think I'm almost breathing a sigh of relief more than anything.
"I just got about 15 [requests] as we came on here, so I think we're in triple figures."
While the reality of saying goodbye to cricket is creeping closer, Taylor's family are anticipating having their husband and dad home long term, after nearly 16 years as a New Zealand international.
But even standing tall as New Zealand's leading scorer in both tests and ODIs, Taylor won't be exempt from having to carry his weight in terms of housework come next Tuesday.
"The list gets bigger and bigger by the day. My wife's looking forward to it - but she also doesn't want me home all the time either just yet."
Join Newshub for live updates of the Blackcaps v Netherlands from 2pm Tuesday
