Editing Mark Taylor (cricketer) (section)

===Dual teams===
[[File:Mark Taylor ODI graph.png|350px|thumb|Taylor's ODI career batting performance.]]
However, Taylor's ODI form was not to the satisfaction of the selectors. At the start of the 1997–98 season, a new selection policy was announced: the Test and ODI teams became separate entities, with specialists in each form of the game selected accordingly. Taylor was dropped from the ODI team,<ref>Piesse, pp. 139–140.</ref> in favour of the aggressive [[Michael di Venuto]]. Tactically, ODI cricket was transformed by Sri Lanka's World Cup success, when it employed the highly aggressive opening pair of [[Sanath Jayasuriya]] and [[Romesh Kaluwitharana]].

At this time, Taylor was a central figure in a pay dispute between the players and the ACB, with a strike action threatened by the players.<ref>Piesse, pp. 137–139.</ref> Taylor continued as Test captain and led the team to a 2–0 win over New Zealand. The first two matches were won by 186 runs and an innings, while the Third Test ended with Australia one wicket from victory after almost two days' play was washed out.<ref>Perry, pp. 406–408.</ref>
Taylor scored a century (112 on the first day of the First Test,<ref>Piesse, pp. 142.</ref> and an unbeaten 66 in the Third Test, compiling 214 runs at 53.50 for the series.<ref name="Piesse, pp. 228"/> This was followed by three Tests against South Africa. After South Africa withheld the Australian bowling on the final day to secure a draw in the Boxing Day Test, Australia took a 1–0 lead in the New Year's Test at Sydney with an innings victory.<ref name="auslist"/> Taylor carried his bat for 169 in the first innings of the Third Test at Adelaide which helped Australia to draw the match and clinch the series.<ref name="testlist"/><ref>Piesse, pp. 143.</ref>

On the 1998 tour of India, Elliott was dropped{{Citation needed|date=May 2008}} and Taylor reunited with Slater as the opening pair.<ref>Piesse, p. 153.</ref> Australia started well by taking a 71-run first-innings lead in the First Test at [[Chennai]],<ref>Piesse, p. 229.</ref> but [[Sachin Tendulkar]]'s unbeaten 155 put Australia under pressure to save the match on the final day. They were unable to resist and lost by 179 runs.<ref>Piesse, pp. 154–155.</ref> Australia was crushed by an innings and 219 runs in the Second Test at [[Calcutta]], Australia first series loss in four years and the first time that Australia had lost by an innings for five years.<ref name="auslist"/><ref>Piesse, pp. 153, 229.</ref> Thus, a series victory in India, which Australia had not achieved since 1969–70, remained elusive.<ref name="auslist"/> Australia won the Third Test in [[Bangalore]] by eight wickets, with Taylor scoring an unbeaten 102 in a second innings run chase.<ref name="testlist"/><ref>Piesse, pp. 157–158.</ref>