Martin Guptill scored an attractive and disciplined 237 not out against West Indies in the fourth quarter-final of ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. His innings did not include the outrageous or innovative shots one has come to expect from One-Day International (ODI) cricket nowadays. Shiamak Unwalla feels his “old-fashioned” innings was reminiscent of Marvel superhero Captain America.
Martin Guptill is not the only superhero in the World Cup. In fact, he is not even the only superhero from New Zealand. As noted previously, Brendon McCullum is obviously Wolverine in disguise; Chris Gayle is quite clearly The Hulk in real life; and AB de Villiers is The Punisher incarnate. Guptill, therefore, must be Captain America. Top 10 batsmen in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015
Guptill’s 237 came off 163 deliveries with 24 fours and 11 sixes. And yet, not one of those boundaries came off a mis-hit or even a slog. Each of Guptill’s shots was straight from MCC coaching manual. Guptill took the old-fashioned approach to batting: he started with a drive down the ground, and repeatedly played in the “V” between long-on and long-off. Top 10 bowlers in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015
Captain America is known for being superhuman, but for playing by the book. He is capable of such tremendous acts of valour and strength that he does not need to innovate like Ironman. His shield is as much an offensive tool as it is a manner of defence. Likewise, Guptill is probably capable of hitting the ball hard enough to impress Gayle but he was content playing orthodox cricket shots. He used his bat to show circumspect defence, but when he used it as on offensive weapon the fielders ducked for cover. Top 10 fielders in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015
ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 is fast drawing to its end. The tournament has thrown up the secret identities of quite a few superheroes so far. Thought it hasn’t quite revealed all the Avengers, there are enough reasons to believe cricketers well and truly share similarities with superheroes. Will we see a Batman and Superman in the last three matches? One can always hope. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: Complete Coverage
(Shiamak Unwalla, a reporter with CricketCountry, is a self-confessed Sci-Fi geek and Cricket fanatic. His Twitter handle is @ShiamakUnwalla)
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