Guptilldigsdeep toguideNZtowinoverScotland

• Published date: 05 November 2021
• Publication title: Sports Tab

Guptill was the Black Caps’ match-winner in their 16-run win over Scotland yesterday, a victory that puts them two wins away from progressing to the semifinals.

He did so with an innings that was equal parts exhilarating and exhausting, blasting six fours and seven sixes, but also spending plenty of time hunched over in a crouch, taking deep breaths to recover in the 33degC Dubai heat.

The end result was a special performance — 93 off 56 balls — which guided the Black Caps to 172 for five, a total Scotland did not come close to despite some late hitting.

It is fair to say it took a lot out of Guptill.

‘‘When I came off the field after batting I’d lost about 4.4kg so the [hydration] process had to start pretty quickly after that,’’ he told TVNZ’s Breakfast hours after the victory.

It was also a performance that ensured Guptill would be doing little before the Black Caps’ next game against Namibia tonight.

‘‘I’m getting there slowly. I was pretty cooked but we have a day off so I won’t be doing too much there,’’ Guptill said at the end of the game.

A day off was the least he deserved after he dragged the Black Caps back from 52 for three, combining with Glenn Phillips for a 105-run partnership that set up a defendable total.

‘‘We didn’t have a great start, losing three [wickets] in the power play. It wasn’t quite a rescue mission but Glenn and I had to assess the situation and then put a partnership together.

‘‘I’ve played a lot of cricket with Glenn. We know how each other bat, we’ve put on some good partnerships for Auckland back home, so it was easy to get a partnership going together with him.’’

Unfortunately for Guptill, Phillips (33 off 37) was not striking the ball cleanly, which left the out-of-breath opener having to scamper between the wickets when he was not busy blasting balls to the boundary.

‘‘Not ideal, but we got there in the end,’’ Guptill said with a smile.

Black Caps captain Kane Williamson...