Martin Guptill blasted an unbeaten 237 as New Zealand beat the West Indies by 143 runs and set up a semi-final meeting with South Africa on Tuesday.
He scored more than 60% of New Zealand score of 393-6, to which the Windies could offer just 250, despite the efforts of Chris Gayle, who scored 61 off 33 balls.
The West Indies will rue their sloppiness in the field, but none more so than Marlon Samuels, who dropped Guptill in the first over at square leg off Jerome Taylor.
The Kiwi opener’s first half-century came off 64 balls and his hundred from 111, off just 42 deliveries. In the 50th over he even launched a six onto the roof, only the second batsman to have done that after Craig McMillan.
Guptill brought up his 200 with a powerful crunch down the ground for four off Andre Russell from his 152nd delivery, a stroke that had become his trademark in this innings.
His 163-ball innings featured 24 fours and 11 sixes, and he alone scored 92 of New Zealand’s 153 in the final 10 overs. The highest score by a New Zealander in a World Cup game had been Glenn Turner’s 171 not out against East Africa in 1975. It was also Guptill’s second consecutive hundred of this World Cup, after his 105 against Bangladesh in Hamilton.
Guptill’s score was 27 shy of Rohit Sharma’s record of 264. It was the second double-century of this World Cup; following Gayle’s 215 against Zimbabwe.
What Guptil also showed, is that New Zealand do not have to rely on Brendon McCullum for the big blows. He scored just 12. And Guptill was not short of partners, for everyone chipped in when they got a chance.
He put on 62 with Kane Williamson (33) for the second wicket and then 143 with Ross Taylor for the third. Taylor scored only 42 of those runs.
Grant Elliott’s 27 off 11 balls was the cherry on the top: their 50 partnership came off 15 legal deliveries.
The Windies took to the formidable task manfully, but when Trent Boult dismissed Lendl Simmonds (12) and then Marlon Samuels and Densesh Ramdin within five balls, pinning the Windies at 80-4, the writing was on the wall. Gayle did what Gayle does, hitting eight sixes and two fours in his 61, but when he was bowled by Adam Milne, the game was effectively over.
