The third experienced player, veteran batsman Martin Guptill, was freed from his contract with New Zealand on Wednesday so he could look into options to play in T20 leagues throughout the world. Guptill has asked for his contract with New Zealand Cricket to be terminated, joining bowler Trent Boult, 33, and all-arounder Colin de Grandhomme, 36. In Australia’s T20 Big Bash League, which starts next month, Boult has been signed by the Melbourne Stars, and De Grandhomme has joined the Adelaide Strikers.
Guptill, 36, will still be available to play for New Zealand if chosen, just like Boult and De Grandhomme, but he said he was now free to “explore other opportunities.” “Playing for my country has been a massive honour, and I’m grateful to everyone within the Black Caps for their support,” he added. “I’m realistic enough to understand the need to consider my options.”
Since 2009, Guptill has participated in international cricket and amassed more than 2,500 Test runs. However, the white ball game was where the power batter was at his best. With a peak score of 237 not out, the second-highest individual performance in history, he has scored more over 7,000 runs in 198 one-day internationals. He has scored 3,531 runs in 122 games of Twenty20 international play, with a best of 105.
Guptill was a member of the Black Caps T20 World Cup team that advanced to the semifinals in Australia earlier this month, but he did not play because Finn Allen, a 23-year-old, was preferred to bat first. Guptill was then benched for the ongoing ODI and Twenty20 home series against India. “Players such as Martin, Trent and Colin, with long and successful international track records, inevitably end up with alternative options,” said New Zealand Cricket’s chief executive David White.
