Prats
International Coach
International Emerging Talent League
Martin Guptill cherishes the new role
March 22, 2011
A right-handed top order batsman, Martin Guptill made an immediate impact on the international scene, scoring 122 in a ODI against West Indies, the second-highest score by a debutant. A prolific, elegant and utterly classy batsman with a huge appetite for runs, and a calm yet authoritative player - those are the qualities that best describe Martin Guptill. His sheer quality as a batsman was never in doubt even when he just entered the international scene. Blessed with excellent hand-eye coordination and a fine technique, he scores his runs all around the wicket. Among his favourite strokes are the languid cover-drive - often with minimal footwork but precise placement and timing - and the wristy flick off his legs, but there are several others he plays with equal felicity. The most memorable are the cuts and dabs he plays behind the stumps, mostly off spinners, but also against quick bowling, when bat makes contact with ball delightfully late. For most batsmen it would be a high-risk shot, but Guptill pulls it off with remarkable consistency. Few players in world cricket play the short-arm pull on one leg with elegance like Martin Guptill. Apart from his artistry, what stands out about his batting is his hunger for big scores is his excellent hand-eye coordination and a fine technique. Blessed with the same, he scores his runs all around the wicket. He gained recognition in the 2007-08 season, topping the overall State Shield run-charts with 596 runs at 59.60. His efforts took Auckland to the final, which they eventually lost to Otago. He carried his purple patch into the Emerging Players tournament in Australia, finishing the highest scorer there as well for New Zealand with 280 runs. That earned him a call-up to the A side and then to the ODI and Test squads.
Owing to his stunning performance in cricket, he was drafted by Melbourne Royal Challengers team in International Emerging Talent League Season one, run by Iridium. He scored 460 runs in 9 matches with an average of 57.5 which included a match winning century too. His constant good scoring abilty have impressed Prats, the owner/manager of Melbourne Royal Challengers team.
Ricky Ponting has been dropped this season from the Melbourne team due to his poor captaincy in Ashes and also due to his hapless batting form. His exclusion in the team has emerged the golden chance for Martin Guptill to lead Melbourne this season. The selectors and Prats (Team Manager) both are happy with this decision. They are sure about the Guptill's success in this responsiblity.
"I've played a lot of cricket and enjoyed every part of my game to its full. This is something new in my career which I haven't experienced any time. I've grown into beyond the classy batsman and soon hoping to grow into astute captain who will read the game well and will not be afraid to take risks. I hope, I'll soon get accustomed to this. They (selectors) have given me a huge responsiblity and I won't disappoint them. The biggest challenge is ready before me and I'll justify all the early hype. I will try my best in this new challenge." - Martin Guptill
One of the genuine nice guys around in international and domestic cricket, Guptill has also won a lot of admiration for his useful contributions. His success is particularly remarkable as he has only two toes on one of his feet as the result of a forklift accident a few years ago.
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