Martin Guptill, New Zealand’s greatest T20I run-scorer, has retired from international cricket at the age of 38, New Zealand Cricket announced on Wednesday.
Guptill has not played for New Zealand since 2022 and will continue to play franchise white-ball cricket. He played 367 games for the Blackcaps, including 198 ODIs, 122 T20Is, and 47 Tests.
He has 23 international century in three formats and finishes his career as New Zealand’s greatest T20I run-scorer with 3,531.
He also scored 7,346 ODI runs and 2,586 in Test cricket.
“As a young kid it was always my dream to play for New Zealand and I feel incredibly lucky and proud to have played 367 games for my country,” according to him.
“I will forever cherish the memories made wearing the silver fern alongside a great group of guys.”
Guptill began his 14-year international career in a blaze of glory in January 2009, when he became the first New Zealander to strike a century on ODI debut against the West Indies in Auckland.
He became the first New Zealander to reach an ODI double-century in the 2015 World Cup, with 237 not out in a quarter-final victory over the West Indies in Wellington.
That innings, along with his unbeaten 189 against England in Southampton in 2013 and his 180 not out against South Africa in Hamilton in 2017, are three of New Zealand’s best four individual ODI performances.
He came agonisingly close to gifting the 2019 ODI World Cup to New Zealand, but was run out on the penultimate ball of the Super Over, handing England the win.
Guptill has got two T20I centuries: 101 not out off 69 balls against South Africa at East London’s Buffalo Park in 2012, and 105 off 54 balls against Australia six years later in Auckland.
He played 47 Tests for New Zealand, hitting 17 half-centuries and three centuries.
His final international match was a T20I against Bangladesh in Christchurch in October 2022.
“I was fortunate to open the batting with him for the Blackcaps over many years, and I often felt I had the best seat in the house to watch him go about his work,” said New Zealand Test skipper Tom Latham.
“On his day, Gup was world class, with accurate ball striking and timing that could take down the greatest bowling assaults in the world.
“His numbers speak for themselves but it was the matches he helped us win that I’ll remember, along with the way he set the standard in the field.”
On Saturday, New Zealand will pay homage to Guptill during the third and final one-day international against Sri Lanka in Auckland.