Star cricketer who ended MS Dhoni’s career, has World Cup record that Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar could not match, announces RETIREMENT and says…
A billion Indian hearts were broken at the Old Trafford Stadium in Manchester when former captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni fell inches short of his crease in the 2019 ODI World Cup semifinal against New Zealand. The man who ended Dhoni’s first-class career was mercurial Black Caps opener Martin Guptill.
The New Zealand batter only played in 47 Tests for his country but his true calling was in the white-ball formats. Guptill scored a brilliant 237 not out in the ODI World Cup 2015 match against West Indies. Even the likes of Indian legends like Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar have not scored a double hundred in any ICC event let alone a World Cup.
Guptill announced his retirement from international cricket on Wednesday but revealed that he was disappointed with the way his career ended. He scored 7,346 runs from 198 ODI matches with 18 hundreds and 39 fifties. The 38-year-old also competed in 122 T20I for the Blackcaps, scoring 3,531 runs with two hundreds and 20 fifties – the fifth-highest run-getter in this format.
Watch Martin Guptill run-out MS Dhoni in 2019 ODI World Cup HERE…
WHAT A MOMENT OF BRILLIANCE!
Martin Guptill was to run out MS Dhoni and help send New Zealand to their second consecutive @cricketworldcup final! #CWC19 pic.twitter.com/i84pTIrYbk
— ICC (@ICC) July 10, 2019
Martin Guptill, who last played for the Blackcaps in 2022, stepped away from his New Zealand Cricket (NZC) contract to pursue opportunities in global T20 leagues after the board prioritized introducing younger players. He was not selected for the 2023 World Cup in India and went two years without international cricket before announcing his retirement.
Reflecting on his career, Guptill told The New Zealand Herald, “It is what it is, and the decisions that have been made around it. Obviously, I would have loved to have played a lot more. I feel like I had a lot more to give to New Zealand Cricket and the Blackcaps. I’m a little bit disappointed with how it all ended, but I’ve got to move forward and move on.”
Guptill’s career is marked by numerous milestones. He became the first New Zealander to score a century on his ODI debut and made history by smashing a double century during the 2015 World Cup quarterfinal against the West Indies. He also played a pivotal role in the 2019 World Cup, famously running out Mahendra Singh Dhoni, a moment that marked the end of the Indian legend’s international career.
Speaking about his pride in representing New Zealand, Guptill said, “One of my proudest moments was earning the black cap, and that sits proudly at home.”
The opening batter, known for his dynamic style, shared his love for his role at the top of the order. “I had the opportunity to keep batting at five, but I wanted to go back to the top. I’ve got no regrets; I gave it a good shot. I had so much fun doing it,” he said.
Guptill’s charisma and contributions to New Zealand cricket leave behind an enduring legacy.