Uncertain future for Guptill in T20 At a glance
It’s a simple equation for the increasingly congested New Zealand top order as they pursue a Twenty20 cricket series clean sweep in Sri Lanka.
Either Tom Bruce shuffles up to No 3 for tomorrow’s (1.30am NZT) third and final match in Kandy, or if his right knee injury lingers then new arrival Hamish Rutherford plays his first T20 international in nearly six years.
‘‘If Tom doesn’t pull through with his knee and get right then Hamish is a likely starter,’’ said coach Gary Stead, explaining Rutherford’s late call-up from Worcestershire to an injury-hit squad for the tour finale.
Beyond that, top-three selections get a lot more complicated when Kane Williamson returns from his break for five T20s against England, starting in Christchurch on November 1, with an eye to the men’s T20 World Cup in October next year.
It leaves Martin Guptill, on his way home from Sri Lanka after suffering an abdominal strain in game two, the most vulnerable to a selection cut.
When all are fit and available, What: Third Twenty20 international
Where: Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
When: 1.30am tomorrow (NZT) TAB odds: New Zealand $1.72, Sri Lanka $2.03
one of Guptill, Colin Munro, Tim Seifert and Williamson has to miss out unless they shift Seifert down the order to six or seven.
Colin de Grandhomme and Ross Taylor – who Stead confirmed will return from a hip injury in Kandy – are a formidable four and five on recent evidence, with de Grandhomme’s power and composure a revelation higher in the order.
But then there’s the question for the home summer: is there room for Guptill and Williamson – who both favour finesse over brute force – in the T20 top-three?
With Guptill increasingly injury-prone and down on confidence in a run drought stretching back to the February ODI series against Bangladesh, it’s harder to make a case for him.
Munro is also struggling for international runs but was ranked the world’s top T20 batsman and formed a dynamic opening partnership with Seifert in Guptill’s injury absence. Reference point: the India T20 series in February when the pair blasted 86 in 8.2 overs in Wellington and 80 in 7.4 overs in Hamilton, both in New Zealand victories.
Seifert’s dazzling 84 off 43 balls in Wellington showed how effective he can be at the top.
The opening pair get a chance to combine again in game three, against a weakened Sri Lanka side with Kusal Mendis and Shehan Jayasuriya both rated doubtful after their horror outfield collision on Wednesday.
Bruce will want to push his case for a regular start after blasting 53 off 46 balls in New Zealand’s four-wicket win. Then there’s 30-year-old Rutherford whose most recent international was a test against Sri Lanka in January, 2015, and his last T20 in November 2013.
Off a prolific season for Otago, Rutherford plundered for Worcestershire in April when he scored three centuries, and was set to play this weekend’s T20 quarterfinal for the Rapids before he was summoned to Kandy.
Otherwise legspinner Todd Astle should see game time after sitting out the two tests and the first two T20s, as the Black Caps chase a sixth win from seven T20 internationals this year.