Martin Guptill, the legendary New Zealand cricketer, has retired from international cricket. A top-order batsman, he represented New Zealand in all three forms and was regarded as one of the world’s best openers for much of his career.
Martin Guptill made his New Zealand debut in January 2009, during the home ODI series against the West Indies. In February of that year, he made his T20I debut before playing his maiden Test the following month.
He last represented New Zealand in 2022. Overall, the right-handed batsman played for the Black Caps in almost 350 games across three formats. He represented his country in 198 One-Day Internationals, 122 Twenty20 Internationals, and 47 Test matches. Guptill scored 3531 runs in T20Is, the most by a New Zealand player.
“I will forever cherish the memories”- Martin Guptill confirms international cricket retirement
He has 7346 ODI runs and is third on New Zealand’s all-time list, trailing only former teammates Ross Taylor and Stephen Fleming. In Tests, he scored 2586 runs. Guptill hit 23 hundreds across formats and scored 76 half-centuries.
Martin Guptill recalled with pride his international career, stating that it was the greatest honor and privilege to play for the BLACKCAPS for 14 years.
“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. I will forever cherish the memories made wearing the silver fern alongside a great group of guys.
I want to say a huge thanks to all my team-mates and coaching staff over the years, in particular Mark O’Donnell who has coached me since the Under 19 level and been a source of ongoing support and wisdom over my career.
To my wife Laura and our beautiful children Harley and Teddy – thank-you. Thank you Laura for the sacrifices you have made for me and our family. You’ve been my biggest supporter, my rock and my counsel through all of the ups and downs that come with the game. I am eternally grateful,” Guptill said in a statement in NZC.
NZ leading T20I run-scorer – 3,531
3rd highest ODI run-scorer – 7,346
NZ white-ball great ✅https://t.co/MQAxxpBQuB— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) January 8, 2025
Guptill is currently leading the Auckland Aces in this season’s Dream11 Super Smash and will continue to play T20 franchise cricket indefinitely.
When Martin Guptill became the first New Zealander to score a century on ODI debut in 2009, it was evident that he was headed for greatness. He accomplished the feat against the West Indies at Eden Park. Martin Guptill later made it to the ICC’s World ODI XI that same year.
Later in 2015, he became the first player from his country to hit an ODI double-century, 237* in the World Cup. Guptill has scored three of New Zealand’s top four individual ODI scores. He also got two centuries in the game’s smallest format, as well as three hundreds in Tests.
From 2009 to 2022, he represented New Zealand in international cricket, scoring more than 13000 runs.