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Martin Guptill went without representing New Zealand for two years before announcing his international retirement.
New Zealand’s Martin Guptill caled time on his international career (X)
New Zealand batter Martin Guptill called time on his international career last Wednesday and the 38-year-old was celebrated at the Eden Park on Saturday.
New Zealand Cricket posted a video package on their social channels, in which the star recalled his cricketing journey.
“Yeah, it was really cool. I mean, I’ve been lucky enough to play a lot of cricket here, whether it be for Auckland or for New Zealand, so to be out here again in front of the fans that have made the game so much fun out here, it’s been pretty special. I love Eden Park. From when it was facing the other way, the pitch, to now, I’ve always found it a great wicket, a great place to play cricket, a great place to bat, and I’ve just always had so much fun here,” he said in the video.
“It’s been pretty overwhelming, to be honest. It’s been fantastic, and thank you New Zealand Cricket for organising this. The Black Caps has been such a big part of my life, 14 years. It’s quite a long time when you think about it, and you look back over the career, it’s gone so quickly, but I’ve made some great friends over that time, and it just was so cool to actually be part of it.”
“My wife, Laura, I mean, she’s been so amazing over the years. The sacrifices she’s made for not only me, for us, our family has been really special, and while still working at such a full-time job, and what’s a high-pressure job that she’s in, so no, she’s been such an amazing support to me over the years, and thank you so much,” he added.
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Guptill, who last played for New Zealand in 2022, is currently leading the Auckland Aces in this season’s Super Smash and will continue to play in the T20 leagues around the world.
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.
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.
(With inputs from Agencies)
