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Martin Guptill’s inability to carry ODI form into Tests hurting New Zealand

Martin Guptill scored just 86 runs in the 3 Tests against Australia.

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Martin Guptill will have to get his act together in time for series against Sri Lanka © Getty Images
Martin Guptill will have to get his act together in time for series against Sri Lanka © Getty Images

New Zealand roped Martin Guptill into the Test side for the tour of England hoping that he can carry his form from the One-Day Internationals (ODIs) into the longest format. Guptill had not played a Test since playing against England in 2013. He returned to England to make a comeback after two years, and started off with superb 70 in the first innings. One would have thought that it was only a matter of time before he got a big score after that. Sadly, that was as good as it got for him. He did not even get a half-century after that, and could soon find himself out of the team. FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: Australia vs New Zealand, 3rd Test at Adelaide

The series against Australia was the best chance for him to cement his place in the side. Unfortunately for Guptill, he scored a mere 86 runs in 6 innings with a highest score of 23. His partner Tom Latham, on the other hand, had a couple of good starts, though even he was not able to convert them. New Zealand conceded the series 0-2 and were unable to get off to a good start in any of the matches.

One cannot say that Guptill has been out of touch. He had a terrific run in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, where he scored a fifty and a couple of centuries, including 237 not out against West Indies at Wellington.  New Zealand eventually lost to Australia in the final, but Guptill had a fantastic series opening with his skipper Brendon McCullum, who was destructive throughout the tournament. READ: Australia beat New Zealand by 3 wickets in first-ever day-night Test at Adelaide

He followed up his excellent World Cup with another good ODI series against England. He scored 194 runs from 5 matches at 38.8 though New Zealand lost the series 2-3. Guptill also made superb centuries on New Zealand’s tour of Zimbabwe and South Africa. Having scored heavily in the limited-overs, Guptill was expected to do well in Tests as well, but that has not happened as yet.

New Zealand welcome Sri Lanka to their shores with the first Test beginning December 10. This series might be Guptill’s final chance to prove his credentials as an opener in Tests. New Zealand will perhaps have to look for other options if Guptill fails again. Guptill is only 29, and still has quite a few years of cricket left ahead of him. He is someone who the selectors have backed for a long time, but Guptill must not test their patience. He must get his act together before the Sri Lanka series and look to improve his game in the longest format. READ: Australia vs New Zealand: First-ever day-night Test vindicates pink ball for now

(Pramod Ananth is a reporter at CricketCountry. He has represented Karnataka table tennis under-15, and is a hardcore supporter of Liverpool FC. His Twitter handle is @pramz)

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