Martin Guptill Looking Forward To World Cup 2019 In England

New Zealand batsman Martin Guptill has stated that he enjoys playing in England and expressed his enthusiasm for participating in the forthcoming ICC World Cup 2019 in England and Wales. He attributes his preference for playing in England as he finds the conditions similar to that in New Zealand. Guptill has played 14 One Day Internationals in England, wherein he has scored 652 runs, averaging 54.33, his highest score being an unbeaten 189 against England on June 2013.

"I do love playing over there. It's very similar conditions to home, and you can be at ease over there and you can go out and just chill out when you're away from cricket," Martin Guptill was quoted as saying by icc-cricket.com.

"It's quite a fun place to play cricket, and the fans are great over there as well."

Martin Guptill was instrumental in helping New Zealand reach the final of the World Cup 2015, hosted jointly by Australia and New Zealand. He had scored 547 runs in nine matches at an average of 68.37 and a strike rate of 104.58. 

His best score in the tournament was an unbeaten 237 off 163 balls against the Windies. That knock is the second highest score in ODI history and the highest score in World Cup history.

Guptill adds, "I've just got to out there and do my thing. If it's there, I'll try to hit it; if it's not, I'll look to either block it or get off strike. It sounds simple, doesn't it? But I can tell you it's not. It's about working with your partner at the other end - if he's going, I'll try to get him on strike, and if I'm going, he'll try to get me on strike."

New Zealand will play two warm-up games before the World Cup - against India on May 25, and against the Windies on May 28. They will begin their World Cup 2019 campaign against Sri Lanka on June 1 at the Sophia Gardens in Cardiff.

Topics mentioned in this article

Martin Guptill New Zealand Cricket Team World Cup 2019 Cricket