KARACHI: A turnout of just over 30,250 at the Westpac Stadium in the New Zealand capital of Wellington will never ever forget Martin Guptill. The tall right-hander from Auckland entertained them to the core with one of the most spectacular One-day International innings as he galloped to a record-breaking undefeated 237.

The significant part of that piece of pure cricketing history was that it was a knockout encounter of the 2015 World Cup with tournament co-hosts New Zealand taking on the West Indies with a semi-final against South Africa at stake. Luck also played a huge part in the last of the quarter-finals when Marlon Samuels, stationed at square-leg, spilled a low, sharp catch off Jerome Taylor on the third delivery of the match. Guptill, who had opened his account with a boundary, didn’t really let West Indies go unpunished after that huge slice of luck.

His first 50 came off 64 deliveries and the 100 from 111. Thereafter, he was simply stunning as he surpassed Glenn Turner’s unbeaten 171 — until then the highest score by any New Zealander in a World Cup (Turner scored those runs against East Africa at Edgbaston in the inaugural tournament in 1975) — with a series of astonishing strokes.

Guptill’s stupendous 163-ball innings contained 24 fours and 11 sixes with 92 of the runs coming in the final 10-over slot that saw New Zealand rack up 153 on their way to 393-6. The dominance of Guptill was so massive that the next best score was Ross Taylor’s 42 during a third-wicket partnership of 143.

West Indies’s chase came to a shuddering halt at 250 in 30.3 overs with Trent Boult (4-44) wrecking their hopes after Chris Gayle had blasted a 33-ball 61 with eight sixes.

Their first-ever World Cup meeting was in the 1975 semi-final. Clive Lloyd’s decision to bowl first at The Oval was fully vindicated when Bernard Julien (4-27 in 12 overs), Vanburn Holder (3-30) and Andy Roberts (2-18 in 11 overs) bowled out New Zealand for 158 in 52.2 overs. Gordon Greenidge (55) and Alvin Kallicharran (72) then added 125 for the second wicket before West Indies won by seven wickets in 40.1 overs.

Four years later they were in action in the pool match at Trent Bridge. West Indies made 244-7 with Greenidge (65) and skipper Lloyd (73 not out) being the chief run-getters after the incomparable Viv Richards was dismissed by part-time seamer Jeremy Coney for only nine.

New Zealand made a valiant attempt through Richard Hadlee (42 not out) to get close but only managed 212-9 in their 60 overs with Roberts (3-43), Joel Garner (2-45) and Michael Holding (1-29) not letting them score freely.

The sides didn’t face each other in the subsequent two tournaments. But when they eventually did during the1992 World Cup, New Zealand recorded their first win over the West Indies.

Playing at Eden Park in Auckland, West Indies collected a modest 203-7 in 50 overs before Mark Greatbatch (63) and captain Martin Crowe (run-a-ball 81 not out) saw New Zealand to a five-wicket success.

Ridley Jacobs, wicket-keeper/batsman, starred with an unconquered 80 while guiding West Indies to a seven-wicket victory in the 1999 World Cup group encounter in Southampton where Mervyn Dillon (4-46) sent New Zealand reeling to 156 all out.

Andre Adams, whose parents were from the Caribbean, inspired his adopted nation of New Zealand to a tense 20-run win in the group fixture of the 2003 World Cup in Port Elizabeth with a vital knock of 35 not out and a bowling stint of 4-44.

New Zealand ran out comfortable winners in the Super Eights tie of the 2007 competition at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua with Scott Styris leading the way by making an undefeated 80 from 90 balls.

Head-to-head summary:

June 18, 1975 — The Oval, West Indies won by five wickets

June 16, 1979 — Trent Bridge, West Indies won by 32 runs

March 8, 1992 — Auckland, New Zealand won by five wickets

May 24, 1999 — Southampton, West Indies won by seven wickets

Feb 13, 2003 — Port Elizabeth, New Zealand won by 20 runs

March 29, 2007 — North Sound, New Zealand won by seven wickets March 21, 2015 — Wellington (Westpac), New Zealand won by 143 runs.

Published in Dawn, June 22nd, 2019