Former New Zealand cricketer Ross Taylor has expressed his belief that veteran opener Martin Guptill should be included in the top four of the New Zealand ODI side for the upcoming World Cup. Taylor emphasized the experience and skill that Guptill would bring to the team for the mega event.
Guptill, widely regarded as one of New Zealand's finest white-ball openers, last played in an ODI for the Blackcaps in September 2022. Subsequently, he was released from his NZC central contract after being dropped from the white-ball series against India last year and not getting a chance to play a single game in the Men's T20 World Cup in Australia.
Since then, Guptill has been actively participating in various T20 leagues, including the Big Bash League (BBL) in Australia. With 7346 runs at an average of 41.73 in 198 ODIs and a highest individual score of 237 not out, Guptill's track record speaks for itself.
"At the moment, you're going to have a top four that has never played a game at a one-day World Cup, so for me Martin Guptill should be there. Say it's Conway, Guptill, Will Young at three and Daryl Mitchell at four," Taylor stated.
He acknowledged that the selectors and head coach Gary Stead might not share his perspective, but Taylor expressed concern about the risk of going into a World Cup with a top four that lacks any prior World Cup experience.
The discussion around New Zealand's ODI squad intensifies following their 4-1 series loss in Pakistan, particularly concerning the vacancy at number three. Regular skipper Kane Williamson is expected to miss out due to an ACL injury sustained while fielding for the Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2023.
New Zealand's next ODI series is scheduled for September when they tour England, just a month before the ODI World Cup in India. Taylor believes that Williamson's injury creates an opportunity for Will Young, Devon Conway, or Daryl Mitchell to bat at number three.
"I think there's only three options. You either have Will Young who's had some success there against Sri Lanka and scored a couple of hundreds against Holland. Move Devon Conway down to three, give him a little bit of protection knowing that the ball does swing early on in India as seen currently in the Indian Premier League," Taylor explained.
"Or what's happened in Pakistan recently where Daryl Mitchell got two hundreds batting at three. Whoever bats at three needs to contribute the majority of runs throughout the tournament and face the majority of balls as well," Taylor added.
As New Zealand prepares for the ODI World Cup, the decision-makers face the challenging task of finalizing the batting order and selecting the most suitable players to lead their campaign in India.