Martin Guptill's Wife Interviews Husband After Napier Ton against Bangladesh
Published - 14 Feb 2019, 11:09 AM | Updated - 22 Aug 2024, 11:59 PM
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New Zealand had begun their preparations for the 2019 World Cup on a resounding note; beating Bangladesh by eight wickets in the first of the three ODIs at the Mclean Park in Napier on Wednesday (February 13th). Meanwhile, the one who made the game of his own was the Kiwi opener, Martin Guptill. The right-handed batsman returned to the XI after missing on the last four India matches (1 ODI and 3 T20Is) due to a back injury. He scored an unbeaten hundred (117* off 116) and chased down the target without many hiccups. However, Guptill admitted the three-digit score didn’t come easy, as it was difficult to hit through the line of the ball.
It has been a funny old summer – Martin
As India defeated New Zealand in an ODI at the same venue a few weeks back; the hosts had made a note of their mistakes. Though they looked a more settled unit than they were against the Indians, the Kiwis had to work hard for the win.
“Today wasn’t a wicket where you could hit through the line of the ball,” Guptill said. “It was slow and we had to work hard on it. We were able to get through the first ten overs without losing a wicket, and then push on for a big partnership, that set up the game.
Earlier, Bangladesh won the toss and batted first. They didn’t get off to a great start, courtesy Boult and Henry. The pair reduced the visitors to 42 for four at one stage. However, Mohammad Mithun scored a gritty 90-ball 62 and got some assistance from Mohammad Saifuddin in the end as well. Bangladesh’s innings folded on 232, as Boult and Santner shared six wickets among each other.
“It has been a funny old summer. We haven’t really had the flat wickets with good carry and bounce like in the previous years. So some of them have been quite hard work and you had to find a way to get through.”
It was hard to work on the Napier wicket – Guptill
Martin Guptill, who opened with Henry Nicholls, began a bit slowly, seeing off the new ball. Meanwhile, it was time when he changed gears, and thanks to his partnerships with Nicholls and Taylor; Guptill first completed his 15th ODI hundred and later helped New Zealand win Napier ODI by eight wickets.
“Bangladesh bowled really well in the first ten overs,” Guptill admitted. “They didn’t give a lot of bad balls away. We had to work hard for our runs. The way Henry and I rotated the strike, I thought, it helped the partnership develop.
“Hitting through the line of the ball isn’t much of an option sometimes … So if you can try to just rotate the strike and work with the guy at the other end and build a partnership. You can go a long way to set up a large total or chase a big total down.”
Meanwhile, the second ODI is scheduled for Friday (February 15th) in Christchurch.
Here is the video –
https://twitter.com/WastingBalls/status/1095631006718181376?fbclid=IwAR2dd4qRauQPnD77yUP84bmqNJXORmjYYDcnpIpDRIz-4_axPQTDR3v98IA
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