Kiwi blaster Guptill retires from international cricket

New Zealand's leading run-scorer in T20I cricket, Martin Guptill, has announced his retirement from international cricket at the age of 38, New Zealand Cricket announced on Thursday.

Guptill, who has not played for New Zealand since 2022 and will continue to play franchise white-ball cricket, played 367 games — 198 ODIs, 122 T20Is, 47 Tests — for the Blackcaps.

He scored 23 international centuries across the three formats and closes his career as New Zealand's leading T20I run-scorer with 3,531. He also racked up 7,346 ODI runs and 2,586 in Test cricket.

"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," he said.

"I will forever cherish the memories made wearing the silver fern alongside a great group of guys."

Guptill began his 14-year international career in January 2009 in a blaze of glory when he became the first New Zealander to score a century on ODI debut, against the West Indies in Auckland.

He became the first New Zealander to score an ODI double-century at the 2015 World Cup when he smashed 237 not out in the quarter-final win over the West Indies in Wellington.

That innings, along with his unbeaten 189 against England in Southampton in 2013, and his 180 not out against South Africa at Hamilton in 2017, rank as three of New Zealand's top four individual ODI scores.

He came agonisingly close to delivering the 2019 ODI World Cup to New Zealand but was narrowly run out off the final ball of the Super Over to hand victory to England.

Guptill also scored two T20I hundreds: 101 not out off 69 balls against South Africa at East London's Buffalo Park in 2012, and 105 off 54 balls against Australia six years later in Auckland.

He played 47 Tests for New Zealand, scoring 17 half-centuries and three hundreds.

His final international appearance was a T20I against Bangladesh in Christchurch in October 2022.

"I was fortunate to open the batting with him for the Blackcaps over many years and I often felt I had the best seat in the house to watch him go about his work," said New Zealand Test captain Tom Latham.

"On his day Gup was world class and his crisp ball striking and timing could take down the best bowling attacks in the world.

"His numbers speak for themselves but it was the matches he helped us win that I'll remember, along with the way he set the standard in the field."

New Zealand will pay tribute to Guptill during the third and final ODI against Sri Lanka in Auckland on Saturday.

Agence France-Presse