England batsman James Taylor has admitted that he "needed" to hit triple figures during his side's one-day international victory over Australia at Old Trafford.
England kept the ODI series alive during their must-win clash against the tourists on Tuesday, with Taylor's knock of 101 helping them to a 93-run victory.
Having hit five half-centuries, including one score of 98 against the Aussies, in his 20 ODI matches prior to that, Taylor acknowledged that it was a weight off his shoulders to finally register a century.
"I've got that hundred I needed under my belt - because 20 games is too long for me to go without scoring a hundred," the 25-year-old told reporters.
"It's a brilliant feeling - especially having come so close against Australia in the winter. It was typical, in my fashion, an anti-climax when I did eventually get those runs - nearly being run out, with the stumps in bits at the other end and nobody knowing whether I had got a hundred or not.
"It was typical of me, in my ugly fashion, but I was delighted at the same time."
The five-match series now stands at 2-1 to Australia going into the fourth ODI at Headingley on Friday.
Barney Corkhill
