ICC T20 WORLD CUP 2021

November 3, 2021

Martin Guptill

Sheikh Zayed Stadium

New Zealand

Post Match Media Conference

New Zealand 172/5 (20) - Scotland 156/5 (20)

Q. Just from me, incredible innings. Talk us a little bit through the emotions that you went through, because I guess obviously starting the innings, losing a few wickets and then kicking on from there must have been a bit of a thought process that went on?

MARTIN GUPTILL: I thought Scotland bowled very well up front didn't allow us to get away too quickly, and then to take three wickets in front six overs it's always tough to come back from that.

But I think thought the way Glenn came out, we've played a lot of cricket together and know how each other bat. It was nice to get a big partnership with him and set our team up for a match-winning total.

Q. Was it difficult batting in the heat?

MARTIN GUPTILL: Especially when Glenn is trying to run two over every bowl. It was warm. When you get down to the end of the innings, you try and get as many runs as you can and swing hard and get back to the twos, as well, it takes it out of you. So you have to come out of a few of the innings with a cramp. It wasn't ideal but we got there in the end.

Q. Scotland, is it fair to say that every team you're going to come up against in this tournament is going to create a different challenge and be incredibly competitive?

MARTIN GUPTILL: 100 percent. Every team we've played already, Pakistan, obviously they are flying high at the moment and India always pose a big challenge, Scotland today. We've never played Namibia before. They will be a different challenge to us and Afghanistan. Every team has different challenges and match winners in their team throughout their lineup, so it's going to be a great couple matches coming up.

Q. Could you just expand a little bit on the heat and humidity today? Have you ever sort of felt quite as oppressed by conditions?

MARTIN GUPTILL: I probably haven't been long enough in previous conditions before. I've certainly played in hotter, but in T20 cricket, when you're running nearly every bowl and trying to hit boundaries, it just takes it out of you a lot quicker than it does, say, if you're back home.

Q. And could you talk a bit about what Mark Watt, the left arm spinner was like to face?

MARTIN GUPTILL: He just doesn't give a lot. He wasn't trying to turn the ball necessarily or anything like that. He was just bowling good lines and lengths getting inside our arc, so we couldn't take him down. He bowled very well and it was just a matter of trying to get through and then not letting him bog us down too much.

Q. How big an onus did you feel was on your shoulders to bat through and get a big score, given a loss of capital wickets toward the end of the power play there?

MARTIN GUPTILL: Yeah, it's never ideal losing those three wickets in the power play but it was about creating one big partnership to get us to a big total and the way Glenn batted helped me. As I said previously, we played a lot of cricket together now and we understand the way each other bats. So we were able to get a nice partnership going and put up a good total.

Q. The early run rate, you got a couple boundaries early, did the early run rate give you a chance to not have to pin it, to be able to rebuild for a little bit knowing, for example, you weren't say, 35 for three after six or something like that and you still were able to keep things ticking over?

MARTIN GUPTILL: I guess so. You've got to try, on these wickets, if there's some loose line bowling, you have to try and pounce on it and I was lucky enough to get a couple wide ones early on and put them away. Overall I thought they actually bowled very well in the front six overs. Made it really tough for us to get away to an absolute flyer, so credit to Scotland there.

Q. Talk about the Afghanistan game being a crucial one for you, but today showed that you can't look that far ahead because they were competitive and gave you a bit of a scare at times?

MARTIN GUPTILL: Absolutely, you have to take each game as it comes. We play in two days' time against Namibia. We've never played against them before. We'll have scouting meetings tomorrow and see how the bowlers bowl and the batters bat. We'll go over all the right things tomorrow before the game.

Q. Does it feel like you're traveling on a roller coaster in the match today with Scotland?

MARTIN GUPTILL: Roller coaster, not too much, I don't think so. There weren't too many ebbs and flows or anything like that. We got off to a slower start but then I thought we really, really pulled it back and made sure that Glenn and I put that big partnership together that almost shut Scotland out of the game. Not ideal getting out consecutive bowls like that but that's the way cricket goes. I thought they batted extremely well and their bowlers did very well up front, and there little partnerships through their innings. But we took wickets regularly enough to withstand the flow of runs.

Q. Wondering how it feels to pass 3,000 T20 international wins. I think only Virat Kohli is the only other batsman who has done that.

MARTIN GUPTILL: Look, it's pretty cool but it's not necessarily about the personal milestones or anything like that. It's about getting the wins for the team. Today was a good day for us and we go again in a couple days' time to hopefully do it again.