The Martin Guptill legend will continue
Matthew D’Souza –
He may not have been in form in recent times, especially in the recent Test against Australia, but it is undeniable that Martin Guptill is one of the greatest Cricketers of New Zealand.
As a student of Avondale College, Auckland, I am proud of calling my ‘senior,’ for, it was this West Auckland institution that has this player as its distinguished alumni.
Martin James Guptill is a 29-year-old New Zealand Cricketer who was born into a typical Westie family.
Formative age
He started playing Cricket in New Lynn at the tender age of five and is now a star opening batsman for the Blackcaps.
Guptill comes from a family of Cricket players with his father and brother having played the game but he holds the record for many achievements.
He played Cricket for Avondale College, making his debut for the First 11 team as a Year 9 student. He was multitalented at sports, playing Football and Hockey in the top teams at the College. He was also deputy Head Boy in Year 13.
Guptill has represented Auckland in domestic competitions and was a part of the New Zealand Under 19 squad that played in the World Cup in Sri Lanka in 2006.
Making his debut for the New Zealand A in 2008, Guptill is now a great opener for the Blackcaps. He had a fantastic knock of 122 in his debut ODI in Auckland against the West Indies. His score is the second highest ever to be made on debut.
Some Records
He has been capped 152 times in ODIs and 243 times in test matches.
Guptill also set the record for the highest individual score at the ICC Cricket World Cup where he smashed 237 runs not out against the West Indies in the 2015 edition of the tournament.
Over the last two to three years, he has become a common household name for Cricket fans by putting on consistent performances in his batting and breaking records in different editions of the game.
As one of the more experienced members in the Blackcaps team, Guptill will be heavily relied for many years to come as veteran batsman Brendon McCullum has announced his retirement from International Cricket.
Fastest Fifty
Guptill has also scored the fastest ODI fifty by a New Zealander a feat which he accomplished late last year.
He is an extremely talented player in all aspects of the game and also being a powerful hitter of the ball, many of the sixes that Guptill has hit have gone on the roofs or even out of the biggest Cricket stadiums in the world.
Statistics prove that he has a great track record of big innings and impressive strike rate, coupled with the huge number of boundaries he has hit in his career.
He is one player to be feared by any bowling line-up.
His nickname is ‘Two Toes,’ after he lost three toes on one foot following an accident during his younger days.
But this has not stopped him being one of the fastest sprinters in the team.
When he is not on the field, Guptill enjoys music, books and Cricket.
Matthew D’Souza is a student at Avondale College and one of our Sports Correspondents based in Auckland.
