After contributing scores of 70 and 42 to England’s first Test victory over South Africa in Durban, James Taylor has challenged himself and the side to back up their success in the second Test in Cape Town, starting on Saturday.
England sealed a convincing 241-run triumph, Taylor’s first in Tests for England, to go 1-0 up in the four-match series, a game which also marked the debut of Alex Hales as Alastair Cook’s partner at the top of the order.
Notable individual performances included five wickets for Stuart Broad, seven dismissals for man of the match Moeen Ali - and scores of 85 & 49 for the returning Nick Compton.
Taylor says England are confident ahead of the Cape Town showdown, but admits to anticipating a backlash from the world's number one Test nation.
“It was unbelievable to experience my first Test win as an England player and best of all was the way we set the tone for the series, with everyone contributing,” said Taylor.
“It's been that way since the start of the tour, with everybody either spending time at the crease or delivering what they need to with the ball.
“Even though we're still elated about winning in Durban, we can't wait to get started again in Cape Town on Saturday, especially as we know there are going to be thousands more English supporters there packing out Newlands.
“The mood in the camp is really confident, but our feet are firmly on the ground because it's a long series and we know there are plenty more challenges ahead.
“It was great to see Mo pick up the man-of-the-match award, which he really deserved because he bowled outstandingly well.
“You could say the pressure was on him on the final day as the pitch was turning, so the way he rose to the occasion from the third ball of the day was superb.”
The opening Test victory actually got off to a sticky start for the tourists, who were reduced to 49-3 after losing the toss, prior to Taylor and Compton's fightback.
Taylor confirmed that the going was tough on the opening morning and - having done the hard work - the Nottinghamshire man was livid to be dismissed late in the day on 70.
“After losing the toss we were totally up against it on the first morning, on a tricky pitch in conditions that couldn't have been more perfect for South Africa's bowlers,” he said.
“Batting was extremely challenging, especially after losing a few early wickets, so from an individual point of view it was good to come through it.
“I tried to dig in and play my shots when I could and I really enjoyed batting with Nick Compton. We're very different players but we kept things simple and helped each other when we could, never looking too far ahead.
“It was so frustrating to get out just before stumps on day one and then again, so disappointing to be stumped by half a pitch length in the second innings.
“You've got to take the rough with the smooth, though, and realise that sometimes your attacking shots might lead to your downfall; so long as they are working for you a lot more than they're not, that's alright.
“Against spin I try to take the attack to the bowler whenever I can and not let them settle. I try to be as busy and as positive as possible; it was good fun taking on the short ball too."
England are returning to the scene of their Ashes triumph in 2016 for Royal London One-Day Internationals against Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
Don't miss the opportunity to watch some of the best players in the world go toe-to-toe in the unique surroundings of Trent Bridge and secure your seats now.