Guptill one of the white-ball greats
Martin Guptill has not retired from international cricket – and given Finn Allen’s recent struggles, it feels premature to write his epitaph as a Black Cap.
But if the 36-year-old doesn’t play again for New Zealand after being granted a release from his contract yesterday, he’ll still easily sit among our top five men’s white-ball batters in history.
His cumulative collection of rapid runs across both formats gives him a decent case as New Zealand’s best bat in the limitedovers format, with competition from Ross Taylor, Martin Crowe, Kane Williamson, Stephen Fleming, Brendon McCullum and Nathan Astle.
Guptill has scored more Twenty20 international runs – 3531 at a strike-rate of 135.70 and an average of 31.81 – for the Black Caps than any other player, and it’s not even a close contest.
He is the third-highest ODI run-scorer for the New Zealand men’s team – 7346 runs at 41.73, with a strike-rate of 87.29 – behind just Ross Taylor and Stephen Fleming. The latter played 82 more games than Guptill, whose average was more than nine runs better.
It’s been almost 14 years since the Aucklander burst onto the international scene with a century on ODI debut at Eden Park against the West Indies.
He remained the mainstay of the top order until he was omitted from the squad for the three games against India starting in Auckland tomorrow.
He has played a string of memorable innings which marked him as one of the world’s leading practitioners against the new white ball, often as part of a fearsome partnership with McCullum.
He made back-to-back tons against England in mid-2013, with the second century being an imperious 189 not out from just 155 balls at Southampton against an attack featuring Jimmy Anderson, Chris Woakes and Graeme Swann.
‘‘It’s not been the worst few days,’’ said Guptill, who has never been in danger of being accused of shameless self-promotion.
His 2015 World Cup quarterfinal double century against the West Indies captivated the country’s sports fans. Guptill crushed 11 sixes and 24 fours in making 237 not out from 163 balls – still the second-highest individual tally in all ODIs.
Two years later, he made an astonishing unbeaten 180 from 138 deliveries against South Africa in Hamilton in 2017. New Zealand were chasing 280 for victory, Guptill was recovering from a hamstring injury and yet he smoked 11 sixes and 15 fours as the hosts romped home with six overs to spare.
What will gall the clean-striking right-hander will be his relative failures in World Cup finals.
In the 2015 ODI final at the MCG after the first-over exit of opening partner McCullum, Guptill limped to 15 from 34 balls before being bowled by the offspin of Glenn Maxwell.
Four years later, he could only manage 19 from 18 balls at Lord’s, and used up a review that could have later saved Ross Taylor from his dismissal. The game finished with Guptill on his knees in despair after failing to get the two runs required for victory from the final ball of the Super Over against England’s Jofra Archer.
Among his white-ball exploits came Guptill’s inability to establish himself as a test regular. His technique never allowed him to negate the swinging red ball during 47 tests – most as opener, with a sometimes successful run in the middle-order.
Despite that, he still made 2586 test runs at 29.38, with three centuries and 17 50s over seven years in the whites – only 23 players have more test runs for New Zealand.
Guptill hasn’t given up on his chances of coming back into favour for next year’s ODI World Cup in India. But if he has played his last game for his country, he’s left a record which will stand him among the greats for decades to come.