Prior to his team’s first One-Day International match against India, Kane Williamson, the captain of New Zealand, said on Thursday that veteran opener Martin Guptill has been an incredible player for their team and is still motivated to play and advance. The first ODI in the series between India and New Zealand will be played on Friday at Eden Park in Auckland. In the wet, three-match T20I series, the Men in Blue prevailed 1-0.
“I had a few chats with him. He has been incredible for New Zealand. He made the decision to play in other leagues but is still available for New Zealand. He is certainly one of our best white ball players. It is just trying to strike that balance. We have seen that with other players who have looked at some other opportunities. It is a moving landscape. He has not retired. He is still motivated to keep playing and getting better. As a player, you go through different periods, go through different stages. It is about managing it,” said Williamson in a pre-match press conference.
The board of New Zealand Cricket (NZC) announced on Wednesday that veteran opener Martin Guptill had been released from his central contract. The 36-year-old opening batsman has played for New Zealand in white ball matches for the better part of 14 years, but he was not selected for the current T20 and ODI series against India and did not participate in the recently concluded T20 World Cup.
In 47 Test matches, he has played for New Zealand, scoring 2,586 runs at an average of 29.38. His bat has produced three centuries, 17 fifty-scores, and the highest score in this format is 189. Guptill has played 195 innings and scored 7,346 runs at an average of 41.73 in 198 ODIs. His 39 half-centuries and 18 ODI tonnes give him a top score of 237*. In addition to this, he has scored 3,531 runs at an average of 31.81 in 122 T20 Internationals, with two tonnes, 20 fifties, and the top score of 105.
Williamson stated that he would not classify the upcoming series as a lead-up to the 50-over World Cup in 2023, rather the focus is on the current series and the style of cricket his team desires to play. Williamson claimed that he still enjoys switching between and playing in all formats. “I still have the motivation to keep improving as a player,” added Williamson. Williamson stated that the team needs some time to re-connect after playing so many T20Is.
“There have not been a huge amount of ODIs, it was mostly T20Is, with some tests. It is about settling down and getting a nice understanding. There is a change in the environment. These are a few factors. But it is about keeping it nice and simple, going out and express and himself. There is a lot of ODI cricket to come,” he added. The New Zealand tour’s ODI portion will take place from November 25–30. In January of the following year, New Zealand will return to India for a white-ball series.
Kane Williamson (captain), Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Adam Milne, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, and Tim Southee make up the New Zealand ODI team.
Amazon Prime Video will broadcast the New Zealand vs. India series live, with coverage beginning at 6 AM IST.
