Martin Guptill: Explosive New Zealand batsman who sets the range for Kiwis' big guns

He has smashed early runs for Derbyshire and tells Richard Edwards to expect more from the 'freakish' Brendon McCullum and his buoyant team during their tour of England

Martin Guptill hit 227 off just 176 balls for Derbyshire recently (Getty Images)

If the West Indies tour was supposed to be a springboard for England ahead of a summer of positive cricket against two of the best sides in the world game, then New Zealand have arrived on these shores intent on ensuring that their nose-dive in fortunes continues.

The Kiwis have rarely travelled to the northern hemisphere as favourites but, after proving themselves as one of the most exciting sides in the global game on route to the World Cup final in March, it will come as little surprise if the big-hitting New Zealanders knock England’s fragile confidence for six over the coming weeks. If they do, the contribution of Martin Guptill is likely to be significant.

Already in excellent form during a brief spell with Derbyshire in the Second Division of the County Championship – he scored 227 off just 176 balls against Gloucestershire last month – the opener has not played a Test for his country since 2013. After establishing himself as one of the most destructive batsmen in one-day cricket in recent seasons, though, he is now looking to bring some of that stardust into the game’s longest format – and if he does so then England’s demise could come at breakneck speed.

It could also leave an under-fire Alastair Cook cursing the county that offered him the opportunity to transfer his World Cup form to early season English pitches.

“I’ve spoken to a lot of guys [from New Zealand] who have come over here and played county cricket in the past,” Guptill tells The Independent. “The stay with Derbyshire has been great for me and great for my cricket, hopefully I’ll get the chance to come over here and play in the future.”

His blistering form, though, is far from good news for an England side already licking their wounds following their capitulation in Barbados on Sunday. That 1-1 series draw has placed the spotlight firmly back on to the futures of coach Peter Moores and captain Cook.

In contrast to the sense of uncertainty around England in this Ashes summer, there is, unsurprisingly, a distinct air of expectation and positivity in a country that, in a cricket sense, has rarely had it so good.

“It [the World Cup] was an amazing six weeks, probably the best six weeks of our lives for most of us,” Guptill says. “To have those crowds and that support back home was pretty amazing. The guys really enjoyed it, they really relished it. Hopefully, that feeling will continue.

“For a bit at least, cricket was getting more headlines than rugby union. The Super 15 was on at the time so there was a little bit of rugby on the news but I think the cricket really grabbed the imagination.

“We had a lot of fun and there’s a lot more interest around the sport at the moment. Hopefully, we’ll also see a lot more kids joining up to their local clubs, playing cricket from a young age.”

If World Cup success has provided cricket with a huge amount of impetus in New Zealand, it has done the opposite here. The prospect of taking on the Black Caps and Australia has not so much captured the imagination as inspired warnings from the likes of Mark Butcher that it might be best for England fans to follow the action from “behind the sofa” this summer.

Guptill was part of New Zealand’s run to the World Cup final (Getty) (Getty Images)

If ever a batting pair was going to get bums off seats, though, it is Guptill and Brendon McCullum, both of whom are capable of dismantling an attack in a manner that few can match.

“Brendon had a very good World Cup, didn’t he?” says Guptill. “I think I probably had the best seat in the house for most matches. He played some amazing and astonishing innings.

“He’s a bit of a freak so to be able to experience that out in the middle with him was pretty special. The way he led us from the front was incredible – there’s a lot of young kids out in New Zealand who are now wanting to be the next Brendon McCullum and that can only be a good thing for the future.”

Guptill himself averages just under 30 from 31 Tests and played his most recent Test against England at Headingley back in May 2013. Batting at six, the Auckland-born right-hander scored just one and three, falling to Graeme Swann in both innings as England beat the tourists by 247 runs.

Cook’s side followed that 2-0 series win by retaining the Ashes in comfortable fashion. It has been steadily downhill since.

New Zealand’s curve, meanwhile, has moved in the opposite direction under the leadership of McCullum and their coach, Mike Hesson. “There’s a huge amount of confidence in the side at the moment,” Guptill says. “That has really just kept growing and growing. If we can continue that form, then I think we can have a really successful tour over here.”

It says much for the modern schedule that Guptill will not be returning to Derbyshire but will instead be jetting off to the Caribbean Premier League as soon as the tour of England finishes at the end of next month. And if there is a ray of hope for England when the Test series begins, it must surely be that the likes of McCullum, Trent Boult and Tim Southee will be stepping straight into the five-day format after spending the previous five weeks embroiled in the crash, bang, wallop of the Indian Premier League.

Guptill, though, insists that New Zealand’s big guns will still be ready to fire in the Test arena. “These guys are all professional and they know what they need to do to change tempo across all formats,” he says. “There’s just so much chopping and changing these days that everyone knows what they need to do and they just get on with it.”

England will need to show similar powers of concentration and fortitude to ensure that their defeat in Barbados is not a precursor to a summer of misery.

Guptill's record... and Kiwi touring party

* Scored successive unbeaten ODI centuries on Kiwis’ last tour of England in 2013.

* Equalled Viv Richards’ record of 189 for most runs in a single ODI innings in England.

* Set a world record for most runs in a three-match ODI series (330) – since beaten by Tillakaratne Dilshan.

* His 237 at this year’s World Cup was a record for the tournament.

Test squad B B McCullum (capt), C J Anderson, T A Boult, D A J Bracewell, M D Craig, M J Guptill, M J Henry, T W M Latham, L Ronchi (w/k), H D Rutherford, T G Southee, L R P L Taylor, N Wagner, B-J Watling (w/k), K S Williamson.

ODI and T20 squad Same as Test, with G D Elliott, M J McClenaghan, N L McCullum, A F Milne, M J Santner (and without Bracewell, Craig and Rutherford).