On this day in 2015: Martin Guptill smashes 237 runs in World Cup quarter-final
Martin Guptill caused mayhem with the willow in hand at Wellington on 21st March 2015. The right-handed batsman scored a murderous 237* off just 163 balls to absolutely decimate the West Indian bowling attack in the quarter-final of the 2015 World Cup. New Zealand won the toss and had no hesitation in getting their blades out.
And, the Kiwi innings was all about Martin Guptill. The opening batsman batted right through the New Zealand innings and became the first and only Kiwi batsman to score a double hundred in ODIs. Guptill’s record-shattering knock was laced with 24 fours and 11 sixes.
In fact, Guptill’s innings was the sole reason behind New Zealand piling up a colossal total of 393/6 on the board. After Guptill, the next highest run-scorer for the Black Caps was Ross Taylor, who scored 42. For the West Indian outfit, the pick of the bowlers was Jerome Taylor, who scalped 3 wickets.
The West Indian side needed a good start with the willow to harbour any chances of chasing down the gargantuan target. However, the West Indies kept losing wickets regularly. In fact, apart from the legendary Chris Gayle, none of the West Indies’ willow wielders could even score a half-century, and the West Indies folded up for a total of just 250.
Trent Boult was the pick of the bowlers for the Kiwi outfit. The left-arm pacer scalped 4 wickets in his quota of 10 overs and gave away just 44 runs. In fact, it was Boult who ripped through the entire West Indian top order and picked up the first 4 wickets to fall. Apart from Boult, the experienced duo of Tim Southee and Daniel Vettori scalped 2 wickets each as the Black Caps thrashed the ‘Men in Maroon’ by a colossal margin of 143 runs.
Martin Guptill was awarded the Man of the Match award for his scintillating double ton. Guptill’s 237* is the second-highest individual score by a batsman in the history of ODI cricket. Also, a word about New Zealand’s World Cup campaign – The Black Caps reached the summit clash of the 2015 World Cup, where they were beaten by Australia.
