The Big Read
Failure to replicate white ball heroics in long game is vexing — and for no one more so than the man himself, writes David Leggat In Melbourne
artin Guptill made a century in Sydney the other day, one of his finest. His 114 off 102 balls against Australia showcased a batsman at the peak of his powers. The faster Australia’s quick bowlers, Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins, hurled the white ball his way, the faster it seemed to disappear.
Had Australia’s captain Steve Smith not capitalised on New Zealand’s decision to pass on a referral for an lbw call when he was on 14, Guptill’s innings many well have been a match winner.
Instead where people will remember Smith’s 164, the highest ODI score ever made on the hallowed ground, Guptill’s ton will, to a degree, fade in the memory. It shouldn’t.
“That was a magnificent innings,” admiring Australian coach Darren Lehmann said.
It came three weeks after Guptill was dropped from the test team to play Pakistan.
And here we come to the question which for many New Zealand fans has attached itself to the tall Aucklander: why so powerful, decisive and electrifying in the white ball game, but struggling to replicate that in test cricket?
Guptill wouldn’t mind a dollar for every time he’s thought about that. He wishes he knew the answer.
And for all those who have pondered it, be very clear: none have spent more time trying to get to the bottom of the disparity than the man himself.
Guptill is not a garrulous chatterer but he is a deep thinker on the game, and his self- assessment is fascinating.
The numbers tell a stark story; numbers that Guptill admitted he has pondered “quite a bit”.
“I can’t put my finger on any one thing. I go out in one- dayers and feel quite free. Obviously test cricket is a different game,” he said.
“I think the nerves get the better of me at times. I almost try too hard sometimes to be a test batsman rather than just playing how I usually do.
“You are almost curbing your natural instincts at times and that can be to the detriment of your game.
“There’s been a couple of times where I’ve got the team off to quite a quick start in tests and felt really good and like I belong there a bit more. Then you try and pull it back and play a different game and get out.
“People say they’re frustrated with the way I play. I don’t think anyone is more frustrated than me to be fair.”
Guptill’s introduction to cricket will ring familiar.
The family connection with the game was strong and the young nipper Guptill was introduced early.
“Dad played for Suburbs New Lynn for years and years. My brother started . . . and being the youngster in the family I followed suit.
“I was always playing with kids three years older than me and I always tried to fit in with the big kids; just trying to keep up.”
Guptill played football and some rugby but cricket held the strongest grip .
He was an allrounder, bowled “all sorts” but batting was always his preference.
By now at Avondale College, there were the Auckland age group teams, from 14s through to 19s, then graduation into the Auckland A team and finally the first- class team.
He was in the New Zealand team for the under 19 World Cup, playing alongside future international team mates Tim Southee, Hamish Bennett, Todd Astle, Colin Munro and Ronnie Hira — with whom Guptill went through the grades, both West Auckland boys.
By then Guptill, at 14, had lost three toes in a forklift accident. It’s not something he dwells on.
Guptill pinpointed the first of his three years in Auckland’s under 19 team as the point it dawned on him that maybe fulfilling his dream of playing for his country might just be a realistic ambition.
“I was picked as an offspinner who could open the batting and do a job. I ended up bowling a lot of junk but was one of the top scorers in the tournament at Lincoln. From there things started to turn a bit for me.”
Then came a phone call from national selector Glenn Turner. It was 2008 and the West Indies were in town.
“He said ‘ you’re batting well and we’d like you to play this weekend against the West Indies. Come to training tomorrow at Eden Park’, and that was it.
“I can remember being there in the warmups and thinking ‘ this is real’.”
He played and missed at his first ball, got off the mark with an edge to third man then put on 140 with good mate Ross Taylor and reached his century with a six off the thunderous hitter Chris Gayle — “a piece of his own medicine” he quipped. The crowd rose for the local lad. “Very special”.
His test debut followed a year later against India in Hamilton, opening with Tim McIntosh. 12 and 48. A reasonable start.
Guptill is good on cricket numbers — “I’m a bit of a cricket nuffy like that” — and if his recall doesn’t always have the exact number from an innings he’ll give a “30/ 40/ 60- odd” answer. Close enough.
Among the memories that will live with him forever is the World Cup of last year, with good reason.
Not only did he play a significant part in New Zealand making the final, there was THAT day at Westpac Stadium. The quarter- final against the West Indies. 237 off 163 balls, 11 sixes.
“I don’t think you ever see it like a beach ball, as the saying goes. But I remember it almost felt like I could hit the ball wherever I wanted.
“They [ West Indies bowlers] missed their mark quite a bit and ( cue major understatement) I managed to get some decent connection on the ball.”
Gayle sauntered past when 200 clicked over. “He said ‘ well played youngster, welcome to the club’, something like that.”
“I remember sitting down after the game back at the hotel. I had a glass of Picture / www. photosport. nz red wine and just started laughing to myself. Just looking back on the day and thinking ‘ did that really happen?’ It was quite a surreal day.”
That innings remains the second highest ODI score, behind India’s Rohit Sharma’s barely believable 264 against Sri Lanka at Kolkata in 2014.
He’s ranked fourth in T20 cricket, eighth in ODIs and 63rd in tests. And here we come to that conundrum again. Do rankings matter to Guptill? “They chop and change a fair bit and while it’s nice to be recognised what matters more is winning games for New Zealand. I’d like to do that more often to be fair.”
On one point regarding test cricket, Guptill is adamant: there’s unfinished business to attend to.
“The only way to get back in the test team is to score consistent runs.”
He used to take batting setbacks hard but admitted his attitude is maturing.
“I used to beat up on myself if things were going wrong when I was a bit younger. But in the last couple of years I’ve learnt to let it go.
“That’s cricket, you’re going to have more bad days than good so get on with it.”
Guptill’s motivation is simple: “At the end of the day all I want to do is contribute to New Zealand cricket every time I go out to bat; contribute to the Black Caps and score runs.”