Martin Guptill Confident England Tour a 'Success'
New Zealand shared a two-Test series 1-1 before the World Cup finalists went down 3-2 in a thrilling one-day series that finished with England's dramatic three-wicket victory at the Riverside on Saturday.
- Agence France-Presse
- Updated: June 22, 2015 10:59 pm IST
New Zealand opener Martin Guptill believes the team's tour of England has been a success, regardless of the outcome of Tuesday's concluding Twenty20 international at Old Trafford. (Ben Stokes a better cricketer than me: Andrew Flintoff)
The Black Caps shared a two-Test series 1-1 before the World Cup finalists went down 3-2 in a thrilling one-day series that finished with England's dramatic three-wicket victory at the Riverside on Saturday.
Meanwhile the likes of fast bowler Matt Henry, seamer Ben Wheeler and left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner have all shown promise in the early stages of their respective international careers.
"It has been a success," Guptill, who made a fine 67 at the Riverside told reporters at Old Trafford on Monday.
"While it was disappointing to lose the one-day series and only draw the Test series, the guys that we've brought in -- Matt Henry did very well on his Test debut and in his first couple of Tests, while Ben Wheeler and Mitch Santner have been successes for us in the one-day form," he added.
"They've all got long careers ahead of them."
Reflecting on the mood within the New Zealand camp, the 28-year-old Guptill said: "It's a pretty amazing series we just played in and unfortunately we came out on the wrong side.
"But the guys are still pretty confident and we'll be up for tomorrow (Tuesday) night."
"We've come here to win. Hopefully we can end the tour on a high and leave with a smile on our faces."
England and New Zealand have played in a succession of thrilling matches and Guptill, a veteran of 33 Tests and 113 ODIs, said: "The whole tour, the Test matches and the one-day series was pretty exciting.
"I had a chat with (England fast bowler) Steven Finn after the last game and we both said what an amazing series it was. It's fantastic to have been a part of."
New Zealand thrashed a lacklustre England by eight wickets en route to a World Cup final where they were themselves well beaten by Australia in Melbourne in March.
However, Guptill said New Zealand expected England would be harder to beat on home soil.
"We always knew they were going to be tough in their own conditions. They are very smart here in the way they play their cricket. We knew it was going to be tough.
"I don't see that changing tomorrow so we are going to have be right on top of our game."
All the time they've been in England, New Zealand have been lauded for the sportsmanlike manner in which they've conducted themselves as well as the quality of their cricket.
"The respect between both sides has been right up there," said Guptill, who insisted New Zealand, under the captaincy of Brendon McCullum, did not go out of their way to create a good impression.
"We just try to go out enjoy playing cricket and having fun," Guptill said.
"That's the way we try and play, that's the way we are going to continue playing -- just go out there and express ourselves and have fun doing it."