Guptill back in the groove with whirlwind innings
A HALF volley outside off will do nicely when you are struggling for a bit of form.
Black Caps opener Martin Guptill certainly appreciated it.
He hit the first ball of the T20 between the New Zealand and Australia in Dunedin yesterday to the boundary.
It felt good but not as good the eight sixes he sent skyward during a whirlwind knock of 97 from 50 balls to help set up a tense fourrun win for the home team.
That got him in the record books.
He overtook India’s Rohit Sharma as the most prolific sixhitter in T20 internationals.
He also combined in a New Zealand record secondwicket stand of 131 with Kane Williamson.
Now, all that talk about him being too old, out of form and keeping young Finn Allen from Wellington out of the side seems awfully foolish.
‘‘I guess the beauty about cricket is it does not matter what has happened in the past,’’ Guptill said when asked about his lean run.
‘‘You move forward, you go on and I was lucky enough to spend a bit of time at the wicket out there today and get a few runs.’’
Early on he got one of his trademark lofted drives away and that is the sign Guptill watchers look out for.
When he is hitting that shot well, he is one of the most destructive players in world cricket.