Martin Guptill, who ran MS Dhoni out in World Cup 2019 semifinal, announces retirement
New Zealand opener Martin Guptill has announced retirement from international cricket. He played 198 ODIs, 122 T20Is and 47 Tests smashing 23 centuries across formats. Guptill last played for New Zealand in 2022 and was not picked after he didn't accept the national contract from NZC.
Martin Guptill has officially confirmed his retirement from international cricket having last played for the BlackCaps back in 2022. He featured in 47 Tests, 198 ODIs and 122 T20Is for New Zealand scoring 2586, 7346 and 3531 runs respectively across the three forms of the game.
Overall, he notched up 23 centuries in international cricket and is the only double-centurion for New Zealand in the ODI format. Guptill smashed an unbeaten 237 against the West Indies during the 2015 World Cup. Despite all his massive achievements, Indian fans will always remember Guptill as the one who ended India's hopes of winning the World Cup in 2019 by running out MS Dhoni with a direct hit. It was a game-changing moment in the semifinal of the showpiece event as Guptill affected a direct hit in the 49th over to catch Dhoni short. The encounter also turned out to be the last time Dhoni played for India in international cricket.
Meanwhile, Guptill continues to play franchise cricket and is currently featuring for Auckland Aces in the ongoing edition of Super Smash. While announcing his retirement officially, Guptill felt proud to have represented his country at the international level and thanked New Zealand Cricket, teammates and coaching staff for being part of his journey over the years. "As a young kid it was always my dream to play for New Zealand and I feel incredibly lucky and proud to have played 367 games for my country.
"I will forever cherish the memories made wearing the silver fern alongside a great group of guys. I want to say a huge thanks to all my teammates and coaching staff over the years, in particular Mark O’Donnell who has coached me since the Under 19 level and been a source of ongoing support and wisdom over my career. A special thanks must also go to my manager Leanne McGoldrick - all of the work behind the scenes never went unnoticed and I’ll be forever appreciative of all your support," the 38-year-old said.
Martin Guptill specifically made a mention of his wife Laura and his children while thanking them for standing by him during the ups and downs in his career. "To my wife Laura and our beautiful children Harley and Teddy – thank-you. Thank you Laura for the sacrifices you have made for me and our family. You’ve been my biggest supporter, my rock and my counsel through all of the ups and downs that come with the game. I am eternally grateful. Finally I’d like to thank all the cricket fans, here in NZ and around the world for all their support throughout the years," he added.