Martin Guptill - An underrated T20 great

Debates around the best T20 batsmen often revolve around the more mainstream names. Players like Virat Kohli, Babar Azam, Chris Gayle, Kane Williamson are the usual culprits. One name that often misses out is a certain someone who scored 93 tough runs against Scotland yesterday. It came in a World Cup T20 match that New Zealand could have struggled winning, if not for him. The player is Martin Guptill.

Martin Guptill became just the second player to reach 3000 T20I runs. He is behind only Virat Kohli now. He is one of only 6 batsmen with 20+ scores of 50+ in T20 internationals. He has the most sixes in T20 internationals (154) and has the third most number of boundaries (268). His numbers clearly suggest that he is one of the greatest T20 international batsmen of all-time but is often understated.

Guptill’s knock against Scotland, the first major contribution from him this tournament, was worth its weight in gold for New Zealand. In hot, humid, exhausting conditions, Guptill was struggling as the overs ticked by, But that didn’t stop him from clocking 6 fours and 7 sixes in his 56 balls and 92-minute stay on the crease. New Zealand were struggling at 52-3 in 6.1 overs, with Safyaan Sharif bowling a neat spell and Mark Watt at his restrictive best.

Guptill, in the company of Glen Philips, consolidated first before hitting fifth gear. He he was the last man out for New Zealand, falling 7 runs short of what would have been his third T20I century. The Black caps finished on a competitive 172-5 in their 20 overs.

Why isn’t Martin Guptill included in discussions for the best T20 batsmen?

One of the reasons is he isn’t a fixture in the major T20 leagues around the world. He has played just 13 matches in the IPL, representing Mumbai Indians, Punjab Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad (last played in 2019), with moderate success. He played a few games for the Karachi Kings in the 2021 PSL season. He last played in the Big Bash League in 2012, CPL in 2018, and in the Vitality Blast in 2019.

Despite not featuring as prolifically as others, Martin Guptill has 7956 runs in all T20 matches, averaging 32.08 and striking it at 131.26. That puts him 15th on the list of top run-getters in the format. Guptil deserves a lot of credit for his T20 batting. He has proven it time and again for the Blackcaps and for domestic teams in the limited opportunities he has been afforded.

A T20 Great that doesn't get his due - Martin Guptill

It is definitely time to start acknowledging Guptill as one of the premier T20 batsmen to have ever played the game.