#NewZealand Cricketer #MartinGuptill Blasts 237 of New Zealand’s 393, against #WestIndies 4th quarter-final #MartinGuptill #WorldCup2015 #NZvsWI #CWC2015 #ICC

#Wellington : #NewZealand v  #WestIndies  #WorldCup2015 4th quarter-final  A #double -#century in a one-day international is not quite passé these days, but has become more common than ever seemed possible. A double-century in a World Cup quarter-final? That is something truly special. Martin Guptill gave the #Wellington fans a memory that will never be forgotten, by any of the parties present, as he blasted an unbeaten 237 out of New Zealand’s 393 for 6 against West Indies. It was the second highest #ODI score of all time, after #RohitSharma’s 264. It was the second double-century of this World Cup and the man who scored the first, Chris Gayle, will be part of the chase. But it is hard to see West Indies overhauling this total. Their bowling and fielding was sloppy, and Guptill made them pay for putting him down in the first over of the game, when he flicked Jerome Taylor to Marlon Samuels at square leg.

Guptill brought up his 200 with a powerful crunch down the ground for four off Andre Russell from his 152nd delivery, and celebrated while the obligatory standing ovation was provided. It was a fitting shot to bring up the milestone, for throughout his innings Guptill straight driving was so impressive you’d think he’d just had a wheel alignment. He scored freely throughout his innings but not surprisingly the flow of runs became an inexorable current during the late stages. His first half-century came off 64 balls and his hundred from 111. Do the maths and you’ll realise that means his second hundred came from 41 deliveries. Wherever West Indies pitched it in the final ten over, Guptill had a six waiting for them.

In the 50th over he even launched a six onto the roof, only the second batsman to have done that after Craig McMillan. New Zealand walked out to bat knowing the ingredients were all there for a show-stopping product: a huge home crowd, a good pitch, a toss won, an unpredictable West Indies attack. But Guptill’s innings rose so unexpectedly it spilled out of the Cake Tin entirely. His 163-ball innings featured 24 fours and 11 sixes, and he alone scored 92 of New Zealand’s 153 in the final ten overs. The highest score by a New Zealander in a World Cup game had been Glenn Turner’s 171 not out against East Africa in 1975. That was in New Zealand’s first ever World Cup match. Guptill’s bettering of that should ensure that New Zealand reaches a seventh World Cup semi-final.

It was also Guptill’s second consecutive hundred of this World Cup, after his 105 against Bangladesh in Hamilton. But the two innings could hardly be considered in the same class. A glance at the scorecard shows just how dominant Guptill was. He scored 60% of New Zealand’s runs, although he did have useful support throughout the innings. The most prolific partnership was his 143-run stand with Ross Taylor for the third wicket; Taylor scored only 42 of those runs as he nudged the ball around for ones and twos, and allowed Guptill to do his thing at the other end. Taylor was run out for 42 in a mix-up with Guptill, but Corey Anderson and Grant Elliott continued to provide strong support.

Elliott’s 27 off 11 balls was a fine cameo and their fifty partnership came from only 15 legal balls. Taylor got rid of Elliott and Luke Ronchi at the end, but Elliott and Ronchi were not the problem. McCullum had chosen to bat despite New Zealand having chased successfully in their past five World Cup games. The crowd hoped for big things from their captain, but he fell for 12 in the fifth over when he skied Jerome Taylor and was caught by Jason Holder, running from mid-off with the flight of the ball, long arms outstretched to make an outstanding take. New Zealand were 27 for 1, but any concerns that McCullum had to fire for New Zealand to post a hefty total soon disappeared. Guptill and Kane Williamson put on 62 for the second wicket before Williamson drove Andre Russell’s slower ball to a juggling Chris Gayle at cover for 33. But as long as Guptill was there, West Indies were anything but safe.