Happy Birthday Martin Guptill: A Look at Some Magnificent Innings Played by the Star New Zealand Opener
The dashing opener made his debut in January 2009 and has completed a decade in international cricket. The batsman featured in 179 ODIs in which he amassed 6626 runs which includes 16 centuries.
New Zealand opener Martin Guptill turns 33 on Monday. Born on September 30, 1986, the right-handed batsman is a dazzling opener and a veteran of the game. The batsman is a seasoned campaigner and also one of the best batsmen produced by New Zealand in limited-overs cricket. Guptill has been a regular face in New Zealand's XI for a long time and also played a vital role in the team's rise at the highest level. The cricketer was also part of New Zealand's squad that reached the finals of the Cricket World Cup in 2015 and 2019. Guptill failed to put a great impact in the last edition of the mega tournament but performed incredibly in 2015 one and was also the highest run-scorer of the gala-event.
The dashing opener made his debut in January 2009 and has completed a decade in international cricket. The batsman played in 179 ODIs in which he amassed 6626 runs, which includes 16 centuries. In Tests, Guptill has accumulated 2586 from 47 matches, which comprised two tons. While, in the shortest version of the game, Guptill has 2283 runs from 75 matches, which are third-highest for anyone in T20Is. The interesting fact Guptill only has two fingers on his left leg but the fact didn't restrict the cricketer from making a mark in the cricketing world. So, on the occasion of Martin Guptill's 33rd birthday, let's focus on five best innings played by the Kiwi dasher.
189* Against England at Southampton
The Kiwi opener was at his premium best when New Zealand toured England in 2013. In the second ODI of the series, Guptill looked on song and smashed the England bowlers ruthlessly. The right-handed batsman notched up a brilliant hundred and then shifted gears. Guptill displayed some great hitting in the death overs and New Zealand cruised to 359 in the first innings. The effort proved to be fruitful as the hosts lost the game by 73 runs.
189 Against Bangladesh in Hamilton
Martin Guptill achieved the majority of his success as an opener but through this innings, he proved his mettle in the middle-order as well. In the one-off Test against Bangladesh in 2010, Guptill came to bat at number five and played a staggering innings. The batsman played with great resilience and notched up his maiden Test ton. The batsman was also set to score his maiden double ton in Test. However, Guptill fell short by 11 runs and got dismissed for 189. Nevertheless, The hosts posted 553 runs in the first innings and later clinched the match by 121 runs.
101* Against South Africa in East London
The Kiwi dasher played one heck of an innings when New Zealand faced South Africa in the second T20I in 2012. After a thumping defeat in the first clash, the second match was a do-or-die encounter for the Blackcaps and Guptill played an impeccable innings. Chasing a revised target of 169, the batsman showed great intent and took the attack to the opposition. The batsman fought valiantly despite not getting much support from another end. The equation came down to four runs from the last ball and pressure was on the batting side. However, the stalwart played a scintillating shot to bring up his maiden T20I ton and guided the team over the line by eight wickets.
180* Against South Africa in Hamilton
The swashbuckling batsman always had a knack of scoring big runs and he backed the fact by playing a flabbergasting innings in the fourth ODI of South Africa's 2017 Tour of New Zealand. Chasing a total of 280, Guptill attacked from the word go and Proteas witnessed a One-man show. The opener notched up a fantastic ton and the opposition were left awestruck. Guptill scored 180 runs as New Zealand won the match by seven wickets.
237* Against West Indies in Wellington
The Caribbean bowlers became the victim of something extraordinary in the fourth quarter-final of the 2015 World Cup. Guptill looked in great touch and played one in a lifetime innings. The opposition bowlers looked completely ineffective against the opener's mayhem and were smacked all over the park. Guptill scored a hundred and converted it into a historic double ton. The right-handed batsman went on to score 237 runs, which is the highest individual score in World Cup history. Courtesy Guptill's massacre, New Zealand advanced to 393 runs and later comfortably clinched the match by 143 runs.
In spite of having such an astonishing record at the highest level, the veteran had faced a lot of criticism off-late as he had a poor World Cup campaign and also failed to scored two runs off the last delivery in the super over of the finals. However, the opener will aim to bounce back and will look to redeem himself by guiding New Zealand to the ICC World T20 title in 2020
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 30, 2019 08:30 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).