Martin Guptill of New Zealand.
| Photo Credit: AFP
New Zealand batter Martin Guptill on Wednesday (January 8, 2024) announced his retirement from international cricket, though the 38-year-old will continue to play in the T20 leagues around the world.
Currently, Guptill, who last played for New Zealand in 2022, is leading the Auckland Aces in this season’s Super Smash.
“As a young kid it was always my dream to play for New Zealand and I feel incredibly lucky and proud to have played 367 games for my country,” Guptill said in a statement issued by the New Zealand Cricket.
“I will forever cherish the memories made wearing the silver fern alongside a great group of guys,” he added.
Guptill has played 47 Tests but the white ball format was his calling card. He scored 7346 runs from 198 matches with 18 hundreds and 39 fifties.
The right-hander also appeared in 122 T20I for the Blackcaps, making 3531 runs with two hundreds and 20 fifties.
Guptill is the first Kiwi player to score a hundred on ODI debut and he also became the first New Zealander to score an ODI double-century during the ICC World Cup 2015 when he smashed 237 in the quarter-final win over the West Indies at Wellington.
New Zealand Test captain Tom Latham said Guptill was a true match winner.
“Firstly, I’d just like to congratulate Gup on a fantastic international career. I was fortunate to open the batting with him over many years and I often felt I had the best seat in the house to watch him go about his work.
“On his day Gup was world-class and his crisp ball striking and timing could take down the best bowling attacks in the world.
“His numbers speak for themselves, but it was the matches he helped us win that I’ll remember, along with the way he set the standard in the field,” said Latham.
Among the most memorable moment for him as a fielder was his stunning direct hit run-out of Mahendra Singh Dhoni during New Zealand’s semifinal win over India at the 2019 World Cup in England.
Published – January 09, 2025 01:46 am IST
