Cricket | Guptill leads NZ to 7-wicket win over South Africa

New Zealand batsman Martin Guptill (right) watches as he hits the ball for six runs during their one day cricket international match against South Africa

Opening batsman Martin Guptill returned from injury to score an unbeaten 180 and lead New Zealand to a seven-wicket win over South Africa in the fourth ODI yesterday, tying the five-match series at 2-2.

Guptill has been sidelined for the past month with hamstring injuries and was making his first ODI appearance since Jan. 30 when he scored 61 against Australia in Auckland. He shrugged off that enforced layoff, dashing to his 12th ODI century from 82 balls on a tricky pitch at Seddon Park.

Guptill’s 180 from 138 balls contained 15 fours and 11 sixes and was the highest score by a New Zealand batsman against South Africa, and his unbroken partnership with Ross Taylor (66) was the highest for all wickets for New Zealand against the Proteas.

In partnership, the pair guided New Zealand to their winning total of 280-3, surpassing South Africa’s 279-8 with five overs to spare.

South Africa captain A.B. de Villiers called Guptill “unstoppable” and New Zealand captain Kane Williamson described his innings as “unbelievable,” saying it was “probably the best one-day innings I’ve ever seen on a wicket that wasn’t that easy.”

Guptill, more subdued, said he was simply glad to be in the middle again after a long battle with hamstring injuries.

“It was one of those innings where it all went to plan and Ross and I were able to take it deep,” Guptill said. “That partnership set it up really nicely.

“I had a couple of good nets the last couple of days but it’s always nice to go out to the middle and hit a few out of the screws.”

Guptill raced to 50 from only 38 balls with six fours and three sixes. His century contained 12 fours and four sixes and his 150, from 123 balls, had 14 fours and nine sixes. His total of 180 was the highest percentage of a winning total for New Zealand in the second innings of a one-day match.

Taylor was very much the junior partner in the stand, struggling for much of his innings to find his timing and willing for that reason to defer to Guptill, who was so clearly in the zone.

But while he took 83 balls to reach his 50 — one more than Guptill needed for his century — he reached that milestone with a flourish, striking a towering six off Chris Morris. On his way he passed Brendon McCullum to place himself third behind Stephen Fleming and Nathan Astle on New Zealand’s all-time list of run-scorers in one-day internationals.

Many of Guptill’s scoring shots were memorable and included two sixes off Morris, one over mid-wicket and another over the bowler’s head, which flew almost out of the ground.

Through his Taylor’s efforts the series remains alive and will be decided in the final match in Auckland on Saturday, in which New Zealand has the chance to extend its winning streak in ODI series at home to nine. AP