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Former New Zealand cricketer Ian Smith wants veteran top-order batter Martin Guptill to be brought back into the scheme of things ahead of the ODI World Cup in India as the side has been weakened by injury to Kane Williamson and the retirement of Ross Taylor.
Guptill, 36, who is just two matches short of playing his 200th ODI, was left out of the New Zealand side which toured India for the white-ball series in January this year.
Chief coach Gary Stead had indicated in November last year while announcing the squad of the white-ball series against India, that Guptill’s era had virtually ended.
He said that the success of Finn Allen at the top meant the stalwart had to make way as that’s the “nature of high-performance sport”.
However, with Allen having a very ordinary ODI series against India — he scored 39, 5 and 2 in the three matches in January — and his average a dismal 20.85 in seven games this year, Smith is ringing the alarm bell.
“I get where they’re (selectors) going with Finn Allen but you’ve got to score runs,” Smith, a veteran of 63 Tests and 98 ODIs, was quoted as saying by SEN Radio on Tuesday.
“I’m sorry, he (Allen) just has to show some form for me. I still go back to Martin Guptill. Is his time over? Is he done? Should he just be put out to pasture? I do not know.
“I probably would have thought yes before Kane Williamson became unavailable with all that experience, all that knowledge, I might have said yes about Martin Guptill. I’m having second thoughts now because Finn Allen ain’t doing it for me,” added Smith.
Williamson suffered a serious knee injury while fielding during his franchise Gujarat Titans’ match against Chennai Super Kings and will miss the entire IPL 2023 season. He is also unlikely to be available for the ODI World Cup in October-November this year.
With Taylor too retiring, the New Zealand top-order looks thin barring Devon Conway, who is setting the IPL alight with his super batting. He scored a blazing 45-ball 83 against RCB as CSK won by eight runs in Bengaluru on Monday.
“If you look at a player like Conway — who’s tearing it up too in the IPL — you are really asking him to see off a new ball but belt it to the fence at the same time,” said Smith.
“There is risk in that, no doubt about it. In 50-over cricket, my late, great friend Martin Crowe said, ‘Always let your best batsman face the most deliveries’. I mean, that’s his stock-in-trade; let him face the most deliveries, fair and simple.” Smith said that while Conway was all sorted, the other slots were undecided.
“I like that, I like the fact that Conway has that opportunity without Kane but it’s that one, two, three, four mix that we’re not (decided on).” Among other options, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) could also explore the return of Henry Nicholls in the opening slot, after doing the job during the 2019 World Cup.
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