25 Interesting facts about Martin Guptill- The Kiwi star

25 Interesting facts about Martin Guptill- The Kiwi star: The 6 feet 2 inch tall Kiwi right-handed batter, Martin Guptill is a vital cog in the Black Caps limited overs side. Guptill is a man who possesses some mind-boggling skills with the bat which is ever so evident in his stroke play as well. He is a very elegant player and his short-arm pull on one leg is one of his signature shots. Guptill’s style and flair makes him one of the most liked Kiwi cricketers in the world. And Martin’s awesomeness is not only restricted to his batting as he is an absolute livewire on the field as well and has affected many jaw-dropping dismissals in his cricket career so far.

Today on the occasion of his 29^th birthday, let’s have a look at 25 Interesting facts about Martin Guptill- The Kiwi star:

1. Birth:

Guptill was born on 30 September 1986 in Auckland.

2. Duck and 99 on First-Class debut:

Guptill made his First-Class debut for Auckland against Canterbury in 2006. His debut match was dramatic. In his debut innings, the right-hander couldn’t open his account while, in the 2^nd innings of the match, he missed his century by 1 run when Jesse Ryder outwitted him on 99 runs.

3. Emerging Players Tournament:

After finishing the 2007/08 domestic season as the leading run-scorer in the State Shield with 596 runs at 59.60, he followed it up with his excellent performances in the Emerging Players Tournament which was held in Australia. Even in that tournament he was the highest run-getter and accumulated 280 runs.

4. Under-19 World Cup 2006:

Martin was part of the Black Caps side in the Under-19 World Cup 2006 held in Sri Lanka.

5. Biggest setback:

When the star Kiwi player was 13 years old, he met a tragic accident. His foot was crushed by a forklift and as a result, he lost his three toes. He has just two toes on his left feet but yet what he has achieved speaks volumes about his fighting and gritty character. Stephen Fleming had visited him in the hospital during that horrifying time which boosted Martin’s morale.

6. Dream debut in ODI cricket:

He made his ODI debut against West Indies at Auckland in 2009. In his very first match, Guptill played a brilliant knock of 122 runs to help New Zealand post a total of 275 runs on the board. He is the first Kiwi batter to score a century on ODI debut. While his score was second highest by any player on ODI debut.

7. Hundred in all the formats of the game:

Guptill belongs to the rare category of players who have scored century across all the formats of the game at international level. He is one of the six cricketers to have achieved this feat.

8. First Test ton:

The Kiwi batter plundered his first Test ton against Bangladesh at Hamilton in 2010. He amassed 189 runs off 310 deliveries with the help of 18 fours and a six. His strike-rate was almost 61.

9. World Cup 2011:

In the World Cup 2011, Martin hammered 262 runs at an average of 42.6 and emerged as the second leading run-scorer for his side in the tournament.

10. County Stint:

In January 2011, Guptill replaced the Australian southpaw Usman Khawaja in the Derbyshire side. He was part of the second half of the County Championship and CB40 season while he was a regular fixture in the T20 championship.

11. Maiden T20I ton:

The elegant Kiwi batter made his first T20I century against South Africa in 2012. He scored 101 runs off just 69 balls and hammered 9 fours and 6 sixes in the innings.

12. Highest individual score on England soil:

Martin Guptill played a brilliant knock of 189 runs against England in the Rose Bowl ODI in 2013. With this knock, he equaled the record of highest individual score with Vivian Richards in a ODI match on English soil.

13. Consecutive scores of 30 runs or more in T20Is:

Guptill also makes a cut to the elusive list of players who have scored 30 runs or more in 5 consecutive T20I innings. Overall, two players have achieved this feat apart from Guptill.

14. Highest individual score in World Cup:

Martin’s knock of 237 runs against West Indies in the Quarter-final match of the World Cup 2015 is the highest individual score in the history of World Cup cricket. He smashed 237 runs off just 163 deliveries and blasted 24 fours and 11 maximums in the brute knock.

15. First New Zealander to carry his bat:

In the historic knock of 237 runs, he broke many records. He also became the first cricketer from New Zealand to carry his bat through a completed innings.

16. Part of an elusive group in ODIs:

Guptill is one of six players in the history of ODI cricket to score a double ton. His score of 237 runs is the second highest individual score in an ODI match. He is the only player from his country to score double century in ODIs.

17. Highest run-getter in World Cup 2015:

The Black Caps opener ended up as the leading run-scorer in the World Cup 2015. He accumulated 547 runs in 9 innings at an average of 68.37.

18. Poor record in Tests:

Guptill is yet to find his feet in the longer version of the game. He has been an integral part of the Kiwi side in limited overs cricket but has been unable to translate his success in Tests. In 33 Test matches, he has amassed 1,858 runs at a mediocre average of 29.96.

19. Nicknames:

He is fondly referred to as ‘Marty Two Toes’ by his team-mates. His other nicknames are Guppy and the Fish.

20. Celebrity wife:

Guptill is married to Laura McGoldrick who happens to be a Radio Jockey and Television Presenter. They met each other in 2011 when Laura interviewed Martin on a Cricket Show.

21 No bidders in IPL:

It is surprising as well as shocking that till now there have been no bidders for the star Kiwi player in the Indian Premiere League (IPL). Guptill is yet to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He has gone unsold in all the auctions of IPL.

22. Man-of-the-Match:

He has won Man-of-the-Match award on 17 occasions in his international career. He has been named Player-of-the-Match 11 times in ODIs, 5 times in T20Is and 1 time in the whites.

23. Limited overs career in numbers:

The New Zealand opening batsman has represented the Black Caps in 119 ODI matches and has compiled 4,240 runs at an average of 41.20 with 9 centuries and 25 half-centuries. While in 52 T20Is, he has pummeled 1,414 runs at an average of 32.

24. Domestic career in numbers:

Guptill has played 85 First-Class matches and has amassed 5,402 runs. He has featured in 171 List-A matches and has piled up 6,326 runs. While, in 145 T20 matches, Guptill has 4,229 runs against his name.

25. Major Teams:

Till now Guptill has played for New Zealand, Auckland, Derbyshire, Guyana Amazon Warriors, New Zealand Academy, New Zealand Under-19s and St Kitts and Nevis Patriots.

*(All stats updated till 30^th September 2015)