Image Credit- Wisden.
Venue- Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington [March 21, 2015].
Hosts New Zealand were facing Windies in the Quarterfinals of the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup. The Kiwis were unbeaten in the tournament. On the other hand, the Windies had a topsy-turvy journey in the tournament. On a batting friendly wicket Kiwi Captain Brendon McCullum won the toss and elected to bat first. However, what happened next was something truly unbelievable. Martin Guptill scored a mammoth 237 not out of just 163 deliveries. His innings comprised of 24 boundaries and 11 massive sixes. On that very day he just blew away the Windies bowling line-up. Except Daren Sammy every other West Indian bowler went for runs. Due to this magnificent knock Kiwis reached a massive total of 393/6 in their 50 overs. The chase of 394 was never going to be easy and Windies were eventually bowled out for 250 in 31 overs.
Interestingly Martin Guptill remained the difference between the two sides. Furthermore, it is pertinent to note that 92 of New Zealand's 153 runs in the last ten overs came from Guptill alone. He even hit a six over the roof in the fiftieth over. Throughout his innings, Guptill scored runs without restriction, but predictably, in the latter part, the run flow turned into an unstoppable torrent. His century came from 111 balls, and his first half-century from 64 balls. This suggests that 41 deliveries accounted for his second hundred. To be honest Guptill was ready with a six wherever the West Indies pitched it in the last ten overs.
In a World Cup quarterfinal, a double century is an extremely rare feat. In addition to being the second-highest total in ODIs and the greatest World Cup score ever, Martin Guptill's unbeaten 237 also secured New Zealand's seventh World Cup semi-final appearance.
It's now over 9 years since that magnificent knock was played, but Guptill's innings will live in infamy among the cricket fans.
To watch the innings of Guptill, Click Here.
No comments:
Post a Comment