After being retired from international cricket, former New Zealand opening batter Martin Guptill feels he had more to contribute to the national side and expressed “a little bit of disappointment with how it all ended.” The 38-year-old batter, who gave back his contract to pursue playing opportunities elsewhere in late 2022, officially confirmed his retirement from international cricket on Wednesday. He played 367 games (198 ODIs, 122 T20Is, 47 Tests) for the Black Caps, scoring 23 international centuries across the three formats.
He finished his 14-year international career (2009 to 2022) as New Zealand’s leading T20I run-scorer with 3,531 from 122 T20I matches, and his 7,346 ODI runs placed him third on the ODI list behind Ross Taylor and Stephen Fleming.
“I guess it is what it is, and the decisions that have been made around it. Obviously I would have loved to have played a lot more, I feel like I had a lot more to give New Zealand Cricket and the Black Caps. But it is what it is. I’m a little bit disappointed with how it all ended, but I’ve got to move forward and move on,” Guptill was quoted by New Zealand Herald.
Guptill burst onto the international scene in 2009 when he became the first New Zealander to score a century on ODI debut, against the West Indies at Eden Park. Moreover, he was the first New Zealander to score an ODI double-century at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, when he smashed 237 not out in the quarterfinal win over the West Indies at Wellington Stadium.
That innings, along with his unbeaten 189 against England in Southampton in 2013, and his 180 not out against South Africa at Hamilton in 2017, rank as three of New Zealand’s top four individual ODI scores.
Guptill also scored two T20I hundreds: 101 not out off 69 balls against South Africa at East London’s Buffalo Park in 2012 and 105 off 54 balls against Australia six years later in Auckland.
Guptill played 47 Tests for New Zealand, scoring 17 half-centuries and three hundreds: 189 v Bangladesh at Seddon Park in 2010, 109 v Zimbabwe at Bulawayo’s Queens Sports Club ground in 2011, and 156 v Sri Lanka in Dunedin in 2015.
His highest test score – 189 against Bangladesh – came while batting at no. 5 but Guptill preferred the challenge of opening the innings, which he saw as his best role.
“I had the opportunity to keep batting at five, but I wanted to go back to the top. I’ve got no regrets, I gave it a good shot. I had so much fun doing it. One of my proudest moments was to get a black cap, and that sits proudly at home,” he said.
His prowess in the field was regarded as world class and he consistently set the standard for the BlackCaps, resulting in many spectacular catches, saves and run outs. He famously ended the international career of India legend MS Dhoni with a runout at the 2019 World Cup semifinal.
Guptill is currently leading from the front for the Auckland Aces in Super Smash and will continue to ply his trade in T20 franchise cricket.
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