Guptill ton leads NZ to series triumph

A REJUVENATED Martin Guptill wound back the clock with his second century in as many games as a clinical New Zealand clinched the one-day series against Bangladesh in Christchurch yesterday.

The long-serving opener, who had a disappointing recent series against India, rated his 118 as a more satisfying knock than the unbeaten 117 when he returned to form in the first match against Bangladesh.

“There was a lot of flow and rhythm in that one,” he said after New Zealand comfortably knocked off its 227-run target for the loss of two wickets and with 13.5 overs to spare.

“It felt like I got back to where I was a couple of years ago.” Guptill cut, drove and pulled the Bangladesh attack apart as New Zealand cruised to victory and went 2-0 up in the three-match series.

With the World Cup looming, New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson was pleased to see his side had taken lessons from the 4-1 drubbing inflicted by India.

“It was what we were wanting,” he said.

“That was a really tough series and (the) guys got taught some harsh lessons and it’s important you learn from those.

“Today and in the last game there were a couple of nice performances.”

Mustafizur Rahman claimed the early wicket of Henry Nicholls for 14, leaving Williamson to partner Guptill in a 143-run stand for the second wicket.

The third and final ODI is in Dunedin next Wednesday.