NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Sport

Cricket: Test frailties frustrating Guptill

Andrew Alderson
By Andrew Alderson
Reporter·NZ Herald·
3 Jun, 2013 05:30 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Record-breaking New Zealand batsman baffled at his failure to reproduce brilliant ODI form in longer format.

Martin Guptill enjoyed himself as much as he ever has on a cricket field yesterday.

He compiled the ultimate one-day innings - the highest for his country against allcomers as New Zealand beat England by 86 runs to win the series with a match to play.

Yet seven words nagged like a squadron of Hampshire's finest mosquitoes in the aftermath: Why can't I do this in tests?

The 26-year-old's record across all formats drags cricket tragics into a state bordering on transcendental meditation, marrying together footage of Guptill's elegant presence at the wicket.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

When a white ball emerges from the bowler's hand Guptill's got all the strokes, including an impenetrable defence; change the colour to red and memories are scarred by the timid shadow shuffling about the crease at Leeds in the second test.

Guptill struggles to identify why.

"Cricket's a funny game. You feel average one day, then a million bucks the next. I haven't done anything different recently. I just had a few throw-downs and found out we were batting.

"Ahead of the first game I didn't eat anything for breakfast. Ahead of the second I had scrambled eggs and baked beans on toast."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Guptill averages 29.62 in tests (a figure boosted by strong showings against the West Indies, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe), 41.25 in ODIs and 35.39 in T20Is at a strike rate of 124. A similar theme carries through his domestic record, yet his orthodox batsmanship seems perfectly suited to longer forms.

He is seeking counsel to mend his frustrations. "I've spent a bit of time with [former New Zealand opener] Mark Richardson, mainly on my test game. It's a work in progress."

Guptill is also grateful for the friendship of Ross Taylor, who, appropriately, was at the wicket when he made his second century. At the end of the match Taylor even took to tweeting a photo of himself and Guptill in the dressing room under the caption: "Here's @Martyguptill with his proud batting coach :). Haha". Their friendship remains strong after Taylor publicly thanked Guptill for his support during the captaincy saga.

"He's a good mate of mine," Guptill said. "Having him out there when I got a hundred is a special feeling.

Discover more

Black Caps

Cricket: Vettori in doubt for Trophy matches

01 Jun 05:30 PM
Black Caps

Mark Richardson: Rushed test prep is bound to fail

01 Jun 05:30 PM
Black Caps

Age shall not weary the Kiwi ODI Dad's Army

02 Jun 10:30 PM
Black Caps

Live updates: Black Caps v England 2nd ODI

02 Jun 09:45 AM

"Ross and I run well with each other between the wickets, we look to hit gaps and we try to pressure bowlers and fielders," he said.

Guptill is not alone in struggling to find a state of test match zen to match his limited overs prowess. It has stumped illustrious names like Chris Harris, India's Yuvraj Singh and Australia's Michael Bevan.

He feels he only has one weakness. It relates to the removal of three toes from his left foot in a forklift accident when he was 13, prompting the nickname Marty Two-Toes. "My foot looks like it's got three knuckles on it, but if the ball hits them I go down like a sack of spuds."

New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum has been trying to solve the wider problem of why the country's weaknesses as a test team are negated in the shorter formats.

His hypothesis suggests New Zealand batsmen feel more comfortable with parameters, including fielding restrictions for power plays and a cap of 10 overs per bowler.

"Limited overs forces us into a certain pace we need to play at. Sometimes in tests we're still learning to address the situation and work out a successful plan."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Guptill facts

* Highest score by a New Zealander in ODIs, eclipsing Lou Vincent's 172 v Zimbabwe at Bulawayo, 2005. Jamie How had the previous highest against England (139 at Napier in 2008).

* Equal highest score by any player against England in ODIs. Sir Vivian Richards made the same score at Manchester in May 1984. Guptill had the higher strike rate (121.93 v 111.17).

* The third New Zealander to score consecutive one-day international centuries after Mark Greatbatch and Ross Taylor. Greatbatch and Guptill scored theirs in the same series, each two days apart.

* Guptill, Greatbatch, Glenn Turner (against East Africa and India at the 1975 World Cup) and Nathan Astle (against the United States at the 2004 Champions Trophy) are the only New Zealanders to score ODI centuries in England.

* Produced three consecutive century partnerships with Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor and Brendon McCullum.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

* 359 for three is New Zealand's sixth-highest ODI total but the highest against a top-eight test playing nation. The other five came against Ireland, Zimbabwe (x3) and Canada.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Sport

SportUpdated

Skateboarding sensation proves girls belong on the street

10 Jul 10:01 PM
Silver Ferns

'There's some niggle': Mystics coach's warning amid rising injury toll

10 Jul 09:01 PM
Sport

‘No secret society’: How women in sport learn best

10 Jul 08:53 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Sport

Skateboarding sensation proves girls belong on the street

Skateboarding sensation proves girls belong on the street

10 Jul 10:01 PM

15yo Jessica Ready claimed an X Games medal after a late call-up and big rush to Utah.

'There's some niggle': Mystics coach's warning amid rising injury toll

'There's some niggle': Mystics coach's warning amid rising injury toll

10 Jul 09:01 PM
‘No secret society’: How women in sport learn best

‘No secret society’: How women in sport learn best

10 Jul 08:53 PM
'Never even dreamed': Swiatek surprised by Wimbledon success

'Never even dreamed': Swiatek surprised by Wimbledon success

10 Jul 08:29 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP