Guptill finds form ahead of ODIs
Martin Guptill looks ready to hit the ground running for the Black Caps after playing a starring role in Auckland’s Super Smash win over the Central Stags.
Recalled to the national side after missing the series against Pakistan in the UAE due to a calf injury, Guptill warmed up for this week’s ODI series against Sri Lanka with an unbeaten 71 off 51 balls to lead the Aces to a fivewicket victory in New Plymouth.
The 32-year-old showed great concentration on a testing wicket as the hosts set a relatively low target of 108.
Guptill held the innings together while his partners fell around him before securing victory in style with three consecutive fours off Seth Rance.
‘‘I was a wee bit rusty to start with if I’m brutally honest, but it’s nice to spend some time in the middle and see the boys through to the end,’’ he said.
‘‘It wasn’t the kind of wicket where you can just stand and hit through the ball. You had to give yourself a bit of time, and at the end of the day it didn’t matter how many sixes we hit, just as long as we see the game through,’’ he said.
Batting first, the Stags came roaring out of the gate, but were unable to maintain the early momentum and were bundled out for 107 in the 18th over.
George Worker (24), Will Young (26) and Kieran NoemaBarnett (20) were the only Stags batsmen to make meaningful scores.
Auckland’s Will Sommerville made the transition between red ball and white ball look easy, picking up 3-28, with Matt Quinn (2-13), Lockie Fergusson (2-14) and Roneel Hira (2-28) in support.
The result puts the Aces second after their Christmas Eve washout, while the Stags sit fourth with a win and a loss.
Meanwhile, the Auckland Hearts went top of the women’s ODI table after a four-wicket win over the Central Hinds.
A 49-run partnership between Regina Lili’i (19) and Holly Huddleston (25) was the difference as the Hearts chased down Central’s 106-8. At a glance