Cricket: Guptill ton sets up Durban thriller

New Zealand batsman Martin Guptill. Photo / Mark Mitchell

The runs keep flowing for New Zealand's brilliant one-day batsmen with Martin Guptill joining Ross Taylor as the only Kiwis to score four centuries in a calendar year.

Guptill steered New Zealand to victory in Potchefstroom to level the series with South Africa, continuing a fine season for the Aucklander who had gone into the World Cup with questions over his form.

His unbeaten 103 carried New Zealand to an eight-wicket win and set up the series for a thrilling climax in Durban tomorrow night (NZT).

Kane Williamson and Taylor are still well short of the remarkable record set by Sachin Tendulkar, who hit nine centuries from 34 games in 1998. And New Zealand's position as the one-day batting kings is inflated because they have played far more matches than any other nation this year.

But it is still an impressive sight, with Williamson, Guptill and Taylor atop the scoring list.

They are the only players, along with Sri Lanka's Tillakaratne Dilshan, to have scored more than 1000 runs.

Guptill praised his young opening partner Tom Latham for setting New Zealand on the right track in the eight-wicket victory over South Africa.

Guptill said: "I do like playing here [in South Africa] because you are confronted with a lot of different conditions.

"It was a struggle the way the pitch played and Tom really got us underway - we could cruise from there."

Leading ODI batsmen this year:

• Kane Williamson (NZ) 1278 runs at 58.09
• Martin Guptill (NZ) 1277 at 53.2
• Ross Taylor (NZ) 1041 at 61.23
• Tillakaratne Dilshan (Sri Lanka) 1003 at 59
• Hashim Amla (South Africa) 929 at 61.93.